Nanda ka sabishii desu
by ykmy
Summary: [KakaSaku] EPILOGUE UP! Kakashi tried to escape the hospital for the nth time. A neurosurgeon called Sakura unprofessional. Tsunade's solution? A D rank mission that will change Sakura and Kakashi's life altogether.
1. Hospital reunion

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**One**

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The lights were awful and blinding as he was once again transferred from one bed to another. A light voice talked to him at his side, telling him that this was his last stop. That he was in the operating room. A few more people hovered above him, circling his table and prepping him for the surgery. An intravenous fluid started running as one of the nurses injected the anaesthetic solution into the bottle. A few minutes passed and he started to feel his eyelids getting heavier, the pain in his chest and abdomen started to subside.

"Asuma-san," he heard a female voice say, somewhere around him on the operating table. His eyes may be blurry but he could still make out the person hovering over him.

His eyes squinted to get a better vision but this of course did not help him any. He could see a few pink strands escaping her cap and bright green eyes staring down at him. "Who—Sakura-chan?" he would've corrected himself by calling her _sensei_ instead, if he wasn't so sedated.

He could tell she's smiling beneath the mask by the way her eyes crinkled, "Hai. Asuma-san, how are you feeling?"

The odds of having Sakura operate on him were quite unexpected and nostalgic at the same time. He was there when this little girl fought Ino in the Chuunin exams. Never in his life had he imagined seeing a student like her evolve into someone so successful. He heard a lot of things about her asides from being Tsunade's apprentice. Haruno Sakura had come a long way to achieve her rank being the top medic intern of her batch. It seems the rumours about Tsunade's violent teaching skills were true after all or Sakura would have never reached her rank at the age of 18.

Ino's former teacher chuckled deeply, "Barely hanging…"

"I'll be assisting in this operation, Asuma-san. We'll have to fix your lungs and liver."

"That bad, huh?"

Sakura gave a lopsided smile, "That's an understatement." She quipped before turning all business-like again, "Listen, in a matter of a few minutes you'll—"

"Hai, hai," Asuma interrupted, "Unfortunately, this is not my first time here, Sakura."

She looked at him silently and then nodded, "So they say," with that, she disappeared from his sight and that's when the anaesthesia kicked in. The familiar beeping sound of the pulse oximeter lulled him to sleep until he finally lost his eye reflexes.

The door gave a smooth sliding sound as the attending surgeon came in. Nurses in scrubs gowned and gloved him quickly. Sakura waited patiently on the other side of the table.

"I think 'good morning' is not an appropriate greeting in this situation." Dr. Misato's deep brown eyes smiled at Sakura, who in returned gave a nod. "Alright, talk to me." He tipped his head to the circulating nurse next to him.

"Vital signs are stable, IV fluid infusing well." She endorsed while attentively monitoring the ECG machine and oxygen saturation. Clean cloths were then draped over Asuma's abdomen as the nurses prepared the instruments needed.

The anaesthesiologist stood dutifully at the head of the table, "First dose administered, patient is sedated."

Misato observed the deep wound on Asuma's abdomen and saw the punctured lung and liver. "You people just don't know when to quit, do you?" He muttered disappointedly. This was already his third surgery since yesterday. Shinobi kept coming in from long term missions with either life-threatening wounds or amputated extremities. Misato looked over in Sakura's direction and asked, "Haruno-san, are you ready?"

Sakura nodded, "Ready when you are."

"Okay, let's save another life." And the gamble was on.

* * *

Sakura thoroughly washed her hands and arms, not looking at the person who just got out of the operating room. Drying her hands, she tiredly dropped down on the nearest bench and rubbed her face with both of her palms. Four hours… if took them that long to fix and keep the organs from bleeding.

"You okay, Haruno?" she looked up and saw Dr. Misato staring down at her with worry. Shuichi Misato was one of the most intelligent and successful surgeons in the program. And he happened to be Sakura's resident.

Sakura pulled a tired smile, "All this work with no sleep is taking a toll on me."

"Hang in there, partner," the surgeon chuckled while brushing his fingernails. "I bet there's another one coming in a few minutes and I need you to stay sane for me." Misato openly admitted that he'd go crazy soon if another batch comes in that needs surgery.

"And they're all coming from one station, aren't they?" she mused while staring at nothing in particular. She heard from Shizune about the top-secret mission Tsunade gave ANBU a few days ago concerning Sound Nins. All their OR patients came from that squad and they're coming into the hospital one at a time. There's one case when they failed to save that patient. It was too late when he arrived in the emergency room. He lost a lot of blood, thus causing hypovolemic shock.

Misato dried his hands and glanced at his top intern. Not a day went by did he regret having Sakura in this program. Tsunade did not disappoint him when she said she produced the best medic ever to grace Konoha.

Sakura acquiescently nodded, "You're right."

When they exited the OR, the familiar bell rang and another injured patient was admitted. Paramedics rushed through the hallway and entered the operating room at the other end of the floor. Sakura caught one of the medics and asked, "Who's that?" she could've sworn she saw a familiar speck of silver hair when the stretcher passed her way.

"Hatake, Kakashi." The medic answered, a little out of breath, "Found him a few miles away from the main gate."

Sakura showed the perfect portrait of disbelief with her eyes wide and her lips parted in a silent gasp. "Kakashi-sensei??" Although it's been awhile since the last time they actually exchanged words, Sakura still feared for the life-threatening situation her former sensei was going through.

Without having any second thoughts, Sakura rushed towards the room Kakashi was brought into.

"Sakura, what do you think you're doing??" Misato questioned in surprise.

She briefly glanced at him over her shoulder and said, "I'm scrubbing in! Ja!"

Misato just blinked, scratched the back of his head and sighed, "I shouldn't have asked."

The door slid open and Sakura went in, ready to get gowned and gloved.

"Haruno-san!" a fellow intern named Ruriko looked at her in mild surprise, "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here." She babbled out, flustered.

"Can't. That's my—" she turned and checked if it was really Kakashi lying on the operating table. _Yep, it's him._ She couldn't help the shudder that ran down her spine as she stared openly at his bloody and battered body. It was like staring at a family member or something, prepping for OR. "—That's my friend over there. I **have** to be here." All set, Sakura stepped into the field with the timid Ruriko hot on her heels.

"But aren't you supposed to be helping Misato-sensei?"

"We're done with our surgery. It was _successful_, by the way." She was only a few steps away from Kakashi's still form when suddenly a body blocked her way. She looked up and saw Yoshino-sensei glaring down at her.

"What's Misato's intern doing _here_?" she spitefully questioned no in particular.

Gathering all her courage to stand up for herself, Sakura straightened and answered, "I want to scrub in. That's my friend over there."

"Ah, such a promising way to show your professionalism." Yoshino dryly quipped, "I don't care if you're BFF with my patient. This case is not yours, so get out of my OR." With that, she returned to her post and waited until Kakashi's body was stable.

Sakura fell silent for a while, a little enraged at how easily Yoshino threw her off. _I can't leave... I can't just leave him here…_ There was something inside her that willed her to stay. Perhaps the fact that he's her former teacher fuelled that so-called 'will'.

"_Get out!"_

"If I can't scrub in… can I at least watch?" Sakura hoped this wouldn't earn her a kick in the ass. Dr. Yoshino could be very violent when she wanted to be. _Kind of reminds me of someone with blonde hair…_

"Fine! Just leave my OR!" Yoshino turned her back on her and entered the sterile field.

Rolling her eyes, Sakura marched out with heavy strides. She was pissed alright.

* * *

"So you're telling me…" Tsunade sat back in her chair and propped her chin above her entwined hands, "… that I should question Yoshino's treatment towards you?"

"Well… I was hoping that you could—" Sakura tried to reason out.

"**You're** telling **ME **to question a top medic for your **own** benefit…"

"_Not_—exactly what I was going for but—"

"Sakura!" Tsunade snapped, "Are you **giving** me orders now??"

_What's the point?_ Sakura sighed tiredly, "I'm sorry, shishou. I didn't mean to upset you."

Tsunade rubbed her temple, feeling another headache coming on, "If you're having problems with Yoshino, you should talk to her yourself. Don't drag me into this."

"But her treatment affects my work and—"

"You're letting this affect you?" a warning glare was sent her way and it made her blood run cold.

"… NO!—I mean, I—"

"Did it occur to you that **you** might have done something wrong to piss her off?"

"… I'm not sure."

"Perhaps because she's a resident and you're an intern that you're supposed to abide by her rules, which you probably failed to do?"

"I know that…"

"Then what's with Kakashi's surgery this morning??"

"I was concerned! I wanted to be there…"

"You have _other_ patients to attend to and Kakashi is not one of them! He was Yoshino's and you had the gall to interfere!"

"I just wanted to scrub in!"

"That's no excuse, Sakura!" Tsunade yelled to put a stop to this pointless argument. "You..." taking in a deep calming breath, she continued, "I don't want you to get kicked out of this program just because you were lacking **professionalism**."

Sakura knew she had it coming and was smart enough to keep mouth shut.

"You **don't **treat family members, friends or anyone you're attached to unless it's absolutely necessary. Yoshino is one of the top medics in Konoha and I can assure you, Kakashi is in good hands."

"I'm not saying that she's not good. What I'm trying to say is—" Sakura looked up and saw Tsunade glaring menacingly at her again. Sighing, she went on with a calmer tone, "All I'm saying is... I just wanted to see how the operation went. You always tell me to go and watch in the theatre so I can learn new things. Dr. Yoshino doesn't understand that! This is not the first time she's brushed me off…"

"I don't care! Stop complaining and apologize to her." Tsunade said with finality and started rummaging through her paperwork.

Sakura looked at her incredulously, "Excuse me?"

"I said _apologize_ to her. What part of that do you not understand?" the fifth said without looking up.

Sakura shook her head and stood up quickly. _Unbelievable. I'll be the laughing-stock of the hospital for the next few weeks…_ before she could even reach the door, Tsunade's voice stopped her.

"By the way," Sakura's shoulders stiffened before looking over to her, "I assigned you to be Kakashi's personal medic after his discharge."

Her jaw fell at that, "What! I'm a nurse now?" when she met Tsunade's laser-like stare, she quickly went silent.

"I'll talk to you both as soon as Kakashi's ok. For now, go shower Yoshino's feet with kisses." When her student made no move, Tsunade looked at her and made a waving motion with her hand, "_GO!_"

Having no choice in the matter, Sakura exited the room in a flash before a hurling book hits her in the face.

* * *

The fourth floor was a mess the moment she stepped out of the elevator. "Haruno-sensei!" Turning, she saw Chisa, one of the staff nurses run towards her, "We need your help!"

"What's going on?" Sakura immediately followed her into the east wing of the hospital.

"It's Hatake-san," Chisa breathlessly replied, "We've been trying to restrain him but he still keeps on removing his IV. He insists on going home!"

Sakura heard about this yesterday from some of the nurses on her floor. Ever since Kakashi recovered from his surgery, he kept on removing his contraptions so he could escape. "Did you try to sedate him?"

"We can't always administer drugs, Haruno-sensei." Chisa gave the intern a reprimanding look. Sakura felt a little annoyed for receiving that kind of look but quickly brushed it off.

Instead, she asked, "Is this the reason why you paged me?"

Chisa shrugged her shoulders, "We figured you would be able to convince him to stop pestering us and do something to improve his health… like obeying doctor's orders." They arrived at Kakashi's room and Sakura was surprised to see her former sensei on the bed, both his legs and arms strapped to the bed.

"Good morning, Hatake-san. Preparing to cut your bindings?" Chisa greeted with fake cheerfulness, completely masking her annoyance as she moved around the bed and checking… well, his un-regulated dextrose. "I can see that you played with this, _again_," she told him like an adult talking to a child. "How are you feeling today?"

Kakashi was not a happy camper in the morning and just stared at the ceiling. "Other than the fact that I'm tied to my bed… everything's fine." He grumbled in dry sarcasm. His visible eye turned towards Chisa and said, "You really should discharge me, you know."

"Again, just following doctor's orders." Chisa replied with her sunny-smile still intact, "Dr. Yoshino is very adamant on keeping you here."

"She's nuts." Sakura tried not to laugh out loud at that. But a small snort escaped and that gave her presence away to the bound copy-nin. "Ah, Sakura-chan."

Their eyes met. They had a history together but Sakura felt like she was facing a stranger. "Hello, Kakashi-sensei." It had been years since they actually faced each other. Ever since Team 7 split, everyone focused on each other's business. Naruto continued his training with Jiraiya, Sasuke tried to regain Konoha's trust and currently became Jounin while Kakashi concentrated on S-class missions that mostly assigned him to far-off places. As for Sakura, she decided to continue her pre-med and stayed away from any mission to focus on her studies. Naruto was the only person whom she could still confide in. Sasuke was too busy to even spare a minute to talk to her. There are times when she crossed paths with Kakashi only to exchange polite greetings and such. No long chitchats, not even a simple 'How are you?'.

Kakashi stared at her with his brows knotted in deep concentration. "What happened to your hair?"

That made her automatically grope her now longer hair, "Um, it gotten longer I guess. I have no time to visit the salon…" she didn't know why she suddenly felt utterly self-conscious.

"Hn," he went back staring at the wall again, "Looks good on you."

Sakura had to blink twice and will the blush on her cheeks to go away, "… thanks."

Chisa tossed a look at the two and then started to leave, "_Ookay_… I'll come back by noon for your vitals. I'll leave you two alone." She quickly exited the room and closed the door.

Sakura recovered from Kakashi's unexpected compliment and went to check his chart. "So, Kakashi-sensei… how **are** you feeling?" When he was about to open his mouth, Sakura cut him off, "And sarcasm is not appreciated, so you'd better behave."

"I'm fine."

"Then why are you still in the hospital?"

"That's what I'd like to know."

Sakura scanned his chart further, "You're still recovering from your surgery."

"I heal fast."

Closing the chart, she glared at the infuriating man, "This won't be the last time you try to jump out one of these windows, will it?" When Kakashi made no move to acknowledge her and was still staring at the ceiling, she finally asked, "You can easily break those binds. Why are you still stuck in that bed?"

The older jounin's visible eye crinkled, "This makes it a lot more fun."

Her eyes narrowed, "I knew it. You're doing it on purpose."

Kakashi gave an innocent tilt of his head, "I don't understand."

"You like it when nurses come here to bind you."

"Damn, am I that easy to read?" Kakashi chuckled, "You're good, Sakura-chan."

The pink-haired medic smirked, "Whatever, sensei." She shook her head and started scribbling.

"You and Naruto…"

"Huh?" Sakura looked up with an arched eyebrow.

"You never stopped calling me sensei." He shook his head with a sigh.

"Well…" Sakura started slowly, "It's just that we're used to calling you sensei… I never realized—" she stopped and then asked out of curiosity, "Does it bother you?"

"It makes me feel old."

Sakura wanted to quip 'well, you _don't_ look old' but kept her mouth shut. Instead, she bit back a smile and scanned his chart again.

"How have you been?"

That caught her off guard. She looked up and saw him looking back, observing her closely. She felt a lump catch in her throat, "I'm—great. I've been studying pre-med and then I got into a program… I'm an intern here… I'm still looking for a specialization. You know… what kind of surgeon I'd like to be and stuff like that." She waved a dismissive hand with a short laugh. Returning his gaze calmly, she threw back the question, "You?"

Kakashi smiled and raised one arm up, "I'm currently tied to a bed rail."

Sakura laughed, "And the world weeps in your defence." She heard the man return an amused chuckle while absently fiddling with his bindings. Recovering from her high, Sakura cleared her throat and delivered the big news, "Tsunade wants to see you once you're out of the hospital—legally." She emphasized the last word with an adamant glare.

"I'm not done with my report yet."

"It's not about that."

"…" He calmly watched the emotions play on his ex-student's face, "What does she want then?"

She shrugged her shoulders after deciding that she would tell lie to him. She can't really deal with how he would react if she told him she was assigned as his personal medic. "You know what, I have no idea either." The look Kakashi sent her made the fake smile on her face fall.

_I guess I made the wrong decision…_

**TBC**

* * *

**AN: **TY **tootalltygerlily** for the beta-ed!


	2. Tsunade's solution

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**Two**

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"This is a joke, right?" Whether he was shocked or surprised, no one could tell. It's just how Kakashi keeps that unwavering 'poker-face'.

"And why, pray tell, would I joke about this?" The fifth knew exactly how to wrap anyone, even Hatake Kakashi around her little finger with that glare. "I'm tired of your silly escapades just to escape your hospital bed. You need someone to look after you."

Sakura felt a little left out so she decided to cut in, "_Not_ that I'm questioning your decision or anything, shishou…" Oh, that death glare just does the job, "… but why ME? Why not send a nurse to baby-sit him? Because I'm sure this is not one of the '**stepping stones to my top-medic dreams'** you've been talking about." She ignored the disapproving look she received from Kakashi on that 'baby-sit' comment.

"Who said this is for your own benefit?" Tsunade drawled slyly, "This serves as your punishment…" then her almond eyes looked straight into hers, as if sending a secret message through telepathy. _Insubordination is an offence._

Kakashi on the other hand broke the odd ocular messaging, "Hoka—"

"_I'm not taking __**no**__ for an answer, Kakashi. It's either you accept this or you will not receive any missions for a __**year**_." Tsunade said in a voice laced with venom.

Kakashi cleared his throat, knowing fully well that it was a wise decision to agree on whatever Tsunade's tells him or he'll have to stay in the hospital for another few weeks. "If that's the case… then I'd be glad to have Sakura as my personal medic." Those words immediately brought life to Sakura's green eyes. The look she threw him promised death… maybe not death, but painful bruises and broken bones that Kakashi would not wish to experience.

"Good. Then I'll proceed to the briefing—"

"W-wait a minute," Sakura abruptly interrupted much to Tsunade's irritation, "… are you telling me this is a mission?"

"Yes, Haruno, got a problem with that?" Tsunade flashed 'the look'.

The medic unconsciously took a step backward, "… No ma'am."

Tsunade shook her head, "Again, I-will-pro_ceed_." Oh, if looks could kill, Sakura would have dropped dead long ago. "Since Kakashi needs the ultimate patient care… and to prevent him from going in and out of the village, you two have to live in the _same_ house until he's recovered." The look on their faces, especially Sakura's was priceless.

"I-I'm sorry," Sakura felt all the air whoosh out of her lungs, "Did you j-just say that K-Kakashi-sensei and I are su-supposed to—" _she can't be serious!_ She kept telling herself. The mission, as easy as it was, was improper. It just shows how Konoha obviously lacked morals.

"Live under one roof," Kakashi finished for her since her stuttering got on his nerves. He was in a stage of disbelief himself. Just the thought of living with Sakura… his former student, who obviously grew into a fine young woman, made him stunned and curious all at the same time. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Kakashi chose the latter.

Sakura's cheeks flared in mortification, "Tsunade-shishou!"

Tsunade continued, disregarding the funny looks on their faces. Again, priceless. "This will only take a few weeks, Sakura. I assure you, this will hardly affect your studies." She then turned away from her flustered student and onto the neutral looking jounin, "This is mandatory, so you two obviously don't have a say in this."

"Obviously," Kakashi muttered carelessly before bending slightly to his left side to avoid the flying pencil sharpener.

Sighing heavily, Tsunade realized briefing such a simple D-class mission to a couple of stubborn jounins was by far the hardest thing she's ever done this year. "It's up to you on how you will manage this… but this mission officially starts _now_." The last was delivered with full Hokage authority and without even the slightest hint of humor.

The two shared a look of despair.

* * *

They stopped in front of the fork in the road, both silent and reluctant, "What now?" Sakura asked tiredly, obviously not excited on the whole mission thing. Sakura is a person who values privacy and she could tell Kakashi too shared the same sentiment. To sum it up, two people who are fond of living alone don't have a chance of living _together_. Alone means… living alone in her bedroom. _That sounded dumb…_

"Hm, how about we blow this mission off and go to back to our respective lives?"

"Ye_ah_, we can do that…" Sakura lolled her head in defeat, "But if you wish to have blue balls courtesy of the Hokage herself…"

"… I _certainly_ wouldn't want that."

As silence stretched, the sun was about to set, filtering Konoha with soft, warm tones.

"How about we stay in _my_ place?"

"Sakura… you're still living with your parents."

"So?"

"I can't see myself being catered to by your mother with pancakes. Are you getting my point here?"

"Yes, yes, whatever."

Another silence ensued and honestly, it's getting late.

"You're place?"

"Deal."

* * *

"Oh my god."

"What?" Kakashi's head popped out of the kitchen only to find Sakura standing in front of his bookshelf.

"… so many…"

"You couldn't possibly assume that I'm reading the same book…"

"Yeah but…" Sakura's face was of awe, "This is over the top, don't you think?" 'Over the top' was an understatement to Kakashi's collection of Icha Icha Paradise. Every volume and every series, all arranged perfectly and dust-free. It was definite that Hatake, Kakashi tends to get all **Obsessive Compulsive** when it comes to his beloved perverted novels.

It's surprisingly scary.

"What do you want for dinner?" Kakashi's voice drifted from the kitchen to the small living room.

Sakura quickly dropped her stuff and sauntered to the kitchen. When she arrived there, he was in the middle of boiling water in a pot. "Oh no, you don't." She took the pot from his hand and pushed him away, "I'll do the cooking here. You—go take a rest."

Kakashi didn't make a move to leave, "… Actually, I'm cooking instant noodles."

Silence.

Silence…

And another stretching silence.

Sakura's left eye twitched in all its glory, "I'll do the grocery shopping first thing in the morning…"

* * *

This was exactly what he hated, whenever he underwent surgery. The pain from his abdominal suture felt like absolute torture. The grimace on his face was brilliant proof. He sat silently in front of the TV, surfing through nonsensical channels until Sakura entered the room with Antiseptic and Povidone Iodine.

"Here we go," She knelt in front of him, which earned her an arched eyebrow from the copy-nin. "Okay, lift your shirt." she ordered offhandedly.

On any given day, Kakashi would've viewed this in a very _different _way. Unfortunately, the words coming out of this young medic's mouth was nothing but professional. She was, after all, his personal medic. And so, he did as was told. He reluctantly lifted his shirt to expose his bandaged wound.

She cleaned the wound before replacing the gauze. After securing the abdominal binder, she stood up and went back to the kitchen. She came back a few minutes later, a cup of instant ramen in her hands as she sat next to him on the old, saggy, sad-excuse for a couch.

It was odd, feeling another presence next to him, with the depth of the cushion changing and deepening. It was all surreal.

Not that Sakura's the first woman to ever grace this couch. It's just that… she's the first one to ever share his couch while watching TV… and doing nothing else.

He couldn't understand why he kept on side-tracking on that particular issue.

"So…" being the one who doesn't tolerate boring silences, Sakura intentionally broke it, "… Um, is this okay with you? I mean, this whole ordeal of us living together?"

"There's nothing much I can do." Kakashi lazily replied, "But if I do have a choice, which _I should have_, I wouldn't agree on it."

Sakura couldn't understand why she suddenly felt slightly disappointed at that. "Yeah… for someone who doesn't like getting taken care of, you're the last person who needs a babysitter." She hoped that didn't sound too bitter. She quickly masked her embarrassment by slurping her noodles.

Kakashi's good eye spared her a quick glance before smiling inwardly, "Don't worry, you're an exception."

Sakura looked up distractedly, "Huh?"

"Nothing." He said in return, not meeting her curious gaze.

* * *

"ABSOLUTELY NOT."

"I own this apartment. I get to decide who should sleep in the bed."

"But it's inappropriate!"

"I don't want to be rude so **take it**."

"I don't want to be either!" Sakura protested, "… Look, you're my patient and I should provide you comfort for ultimate recovery. **You** take the bed."

"But I insist."

"I don't care," she gathered the extra blanket and pillows and made a move towards the door, "I'm sleeping on the couch."

"Sakura…" Kakashi wearily sighed. This argument is obviously pointless.

"Goodnight, sensei." She declared before grabbing the door.

"What if I **ask** you to take the bed?" Sakura's shoulders sagged before slowly turning toward him. "I'm asking you… patient to medic… take the bed."

"Sensei…"

"We'll both sleep in it." He unexpectedly suggested.

That absolutely caught her off guard. She almost dropped the pillows secured in her arms, "Are you serious?"

Kakashi gave her an ultimatum, "It's either you sleep in it or we'll both take the freakin' bed. Your choice." There was no need for him to imitate Tsunade's glare because he perfectly created his own.

_I will not cave in… I will not cave in… I will not—_

Sakura was stubborn but it seems Kakashi was worse.

That night, Sakura ended up choosing the bed while Kakashi slept on the couch.

* * *

As promised, Sakura did the grocery shopping the next day. She went around the aisle, slowly pushing the cart while eyeing a couple of canned beans.

"Sakura?"

Hearing that familiar voice, Sakura stiffened. She recognized her without seeing her face. There are people you recognize by their general presence.

Ino was standing across from her, also with a cart in front of her. Of all the people to come across, it had to be _her_.

Yamanaka Ino, her childhood friend and rival, …still her rival…, no longer a child, no longer a friend, standing in front of her, waiting patiently for her to acknowledge her.

When she finally turned, the atmosphere suddenly turned stale.

"Hi, Ino." She must've looked stupid. No one greets a person with a frown on their face.

The blond smiled a pure, involuntary smile that welled up from years of friendship. Sakura was finally forced to do the same, albeit unenthusiastically.

"You're back." Sakura said.

"Yeah… yesterday."

_If that's the case, then there's one particular person who's back in town as well._ She mused.

Seeing each other again filled her with joy. But the joy lasted a mere moment, for she was not her best friend.

"So…"

"How's Sasuke?"

The abrupt question threw Ino. "H-he's fine. He's currently reporting to the Fifth."

"I see."

Sakura stared at Ino who now felt utterly uncomfortable, switching her weight from one foot to another. She disappeared for almost a year on S-class missions but she still looked the same. Only now, she looked like a woman in love. She considered asking her right then and there why she'd been so awful a couple of years ago. So awful that she was reduced to mentally sputtering mixed metaphors.

But of course she refrained herself from saying, _"Hey, you over there, the disloyal, boyfriend stealer, fickle one with blond hair, what the hell happened anyway??_" as she wanted to do. For one thing, she had no right to demand anything since she cruelly refused her chances of explaining what happened one year ago.

"Sakura, I—"

"Oh! Look at the time. I have to go." She quickly steered her cart away from Ino and waved, "See you around."

Ino sighed and shook her head before walking in the opposite direction. Sakura tried her best not to yell at her and swallowed down any bitter emotion.

It was the least she could do.

* * *

Kakashi looked up from Icha Icha Vol. 34 when he heard the harsh opening of his door. Along came a pink-haired medic holding grocery bags before disappearing into the small kitchen.

She looked awfully pissed. _What could've happened in the grocery store?_

"What's for lunch?" he yelled, while listening to the rustling sound of crisp paper bags.

"Nothing, I'm not in the mood to cook." She angrily snapped as she came out of the kitchen and went straight to the bathroom.

Kakashi watched the whole scene silently. Obviously, the girl had no intentions of telling him what was wrong. And so, he returned to his reading.

Not long after, he heard her crying through the thin mahogany door.

**TBC**

* * *

**AN:** Beta-ed ver. Thanks **tootalltygerlily**! 


	3. The shirt that says it all

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**Three**

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Two hours had passed since Sakura locked herself inside the bathroom. About an hour later, Kakashi was tempted to break down his own bathroom door and see if she was all right. Situations like that made him uncomfortable, especially when you're dealing with angsty teenagers like Sakura. A part of him wanted to get out and enjoy life without having a pink-haired medic trailing his every move. But Hatake Kakashi knew better not to mess with the fifth and her apprentice. They can be nasty and surprisingly brutal if they can't have their own way. In the end, he decided to lounge on the couch and re-read the latest issue of Icha Icha.

Sakura got out of the bathroom, freshly showered. Kakashi was reading with his nose buried down in the book but didn't miss the flushed Sakura, wrapped in a white towel scampering hurriedly toward his room. The smell of strawberry tickled his nose and that's when he realized, he was fond of that smell.

After fifteen minutes, she came out wearing sweat pants and a red t-shirt that said **U.S.W.I.S.O.M.W.A.G.M.O.H.O.T.M**, its funky yellow letters swirled in a circular figure. That intrigued him and made him follow the medic into the kitchen. He stood by the counter as she about, ransacking his cabinets and grocery bags. From this position he could read the text printed on the back of her shirt.

"**U**nited **S**ingle **W**omen **I**n** S**earch **O**f **M**en **W**ho **A**ren't **G**ay**, M**arried, **O**r **H**ung-**U**p **O**n **T**heir **M**oms"

_Hm… interesting shirt you got there, Sakura-chan._

Sakura couldn't take another minute of having those haunting eyes focused on her. "What?" she abruptly turned away from the stove and stared accusingly at the copy-nin.

Kakashi lifted an eyebrow at her while leaning against the counter-top. "Huh?"

"Stop staring at me," she said with her arms in akimbo.

Kakashi was about to ask where she got that shirt and why her eyes were all puffy red, when suddenly the doorbell rang.

Sakura stared at the front door, "Now, who could that be?"

"I'll get it." Kakashi said and went to open the door.

A loud, ecstatic voice greeted him immediately, "Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi blinked twice at his guest, "Naruto?"

The tall blonde grinned and rubbed his nose, "Hehe… long time no see, ne?"

Upon hearing her best-friend's name, Sakura hurried next to Kakashi and gasped, "Naruto!"

That immediately caught the blonde off guard, "S-Sakura-chan??"

* * *

"I was told to deliver this to you." Naruto pushed a package towards him across the coffee table. Kakashi looked at it suspiciously for a minute before remembering something.

An excited look on his face surged, he suddenly couldn't breathe and his hands started shaking like he was having a seizure. Sakura suddenly looked worried. She turned towards Naruto who was grinning widely. That brought a deeper frown on her face.

"Could this be—" Kakashi held the package like some sort of fragile glass. "No way…"

Naruto gave an approving nod, "The one and only."

Sakura watched the whole thing with slight irritation. The exchange between the two made her excited in anticipation at what was inside the parcel.

Kakashi practically ripped the Manila paper into shreds in order to free the **orange book** out of its confines. "ICHA ICHA Forbidden Island Volume 59!!!"

Sakura almost fell off the couch.

Naruto guffawed, "Jiraiya-sama made sure you got one since it's sold out in most bookstores."

_They sell that thing in bookstores??_ Sakura thought in horror, imagining little kids wandering around said bookstore and encountering such perverted novels.

Kakashi looked like a boy who received the best Christmas present ever.

The fine, young-ANBU captain crossed his arms and said, "Ne, I heard what happened. I'm glad you survived that outbreak—" Naruto trailed off after realizing that the copy-nin wasn't listening. In fact, he was already buried nose deep in the new novel, reading.

Sakura sighed and shook her head, "Give him a moment." She then stood up and headed towards the kitchen. Naruto followed the medic and watched her attend to the boiling stew.

"So… Sakura-chan," Naruto started.

"Hm?" she automatically replied.

"What are you doing in Kakashi-sensei's apartment?" The question was abrupt and straight to the point. "Are you having an_ affair_ with him?"

"What??" Sakura thought the question was ridiculous but felt her cheeks flushing a deep shade of red, "No!" she quickly covered the pot with its lid and faced the inquisitive blonde. "Tsunade-shishou assigned me to be his personal medic." When the blonde showed no sign of comprehension, she tried to elaborate further for his benefit, "I'm his personal nurse…"

Naruto blinked twice before laughing out loud. "Like—like a _babysitter_??" Trust Naruto not to yell like there's no tomorrow.

Sakura grabbed a spatula and pointed it at him, "Don't laugh! It's not funny."

He quickly covered his mouth and apologized. "Sorry." He knew not to mess with Sakura. Not after that kick he received a few days ago after messing with her medical charts. He wasn't able to walk for two days after that. It was a horrible, horrible experience… Actually, he was turning blue just at the thought of it.

"My job was to keep him from doing crazy stuff until he's fully recovered. Once his doctor confirms that he's fine… I can go home."

"You sound like it's a tough job." Naruto commented with a frown.

"Well, he's a handful." Sakura retaliated.

"At least you get to see him everyday. Weren't you complaining about merely exchanging 'hellos' with him??"

She hoped Kakashi didn't hear that. She didn't want him to see her as a desperate stalker who wants his undivided attention. "Why? Are you jealous, Naruto-kun?" Sakura taunted with a waggle of her eyebrows.

Naruto's handsome face wrinkled in disgust, "God, that is so gross, just the thought, ew, I think I actually I threw up a little in my mouth." Sakura laughed before adding vegetables inside the pot. As she stirred the broth, Naruto once again piped up. "I heard Sasuke-bastard's back." He noticed how her back stiffened, "I saw him on my way here… he's asking for you."

Sakura covered the pot again and hurriedly walked off, "I need to go to the bathroom,"

"You can't always avoid him, you know?" Naruto said and that effectively stopped her in her tracks. She stood there, thinking whether she should go straight to the bathroom or slap Naruto upside the head. "Talk to him, Sakura-chan."

"No."

"But you haven't heard his side yet." Naruto protested.

"I don't care." Sakura harshly said. She turned again towards him and pleadingly asked, "Can we not talk about this? Please?"

Really, who could resist that pout? Naruto felt his determination of making peace between his best friends crumble into pieces. "Sheesh, fine… but promise me you'll attend his homecoming party tonight."

Before Sakura could even decline his offer, Kakashi suddenly appeared by the doorway and asked, "What party?"

Sakura cradled her head in her hands, not liking where this conversation was going, "Oh boy."

* * *

It was absolutely horrifying to see a patient who was freshly discharged doing the unthinkable in the living room. In Hatake Kakashi's case, he was doing push-ups.

"Oh my god _what are you doing_??" Sakura gave out a horrified cry as soon as she entered the threshold.

"98-99-100…" Kakashi counted loudly in a mocking manner.

"Stop that!"

"You-told me-to exercise…"

"I told you to _am-bu-late_! That means, **walking** you _dope_! You're stretching the wound! Oh god—" she was absolutely anxious, with her spouting nasty blasphemes. Who could blame her, really? She just got back from her five-hour shift in the hospital only to find Kakashi doing the unthinkable.

Kakashi finally stopped and sat on the couch. "It's been three days. I'm sure my wound is fi—" he was stunned when Sakura suddenly appeared in front of him, examining his abdomen since he's not wearing any shirt. "Relax, Sakura. There's no blood…"

"No-no," Sakura suddenly started removing the abdominal binder with all intents of checking the suture. "We have to make sure nothing happened." She attended to him like a mother-hen. Kakashi tried to find any feelings of annoyance within himself and surprisingly, he found none.

Sakura busied herself by carefully removing the bandages only to find out… that Kakashi's right. The wound was fine and almost dried up.

"I told you, didn't I." To Sakura's horror, Kakashi made a move to touch his abdomen.

Sakura, out of impulse, swatted his hand away, "Don't you dare!"

Kakashi found himself laughing at the oddity of the situation. He had to admit, Sakura looked cute when her ears were steaming.

"What's so funny?" Sakura asked in huff as she re-wrapped the binder again. "What were you thinking pulling a stunt like that?"

"I was bored." Sakura gave him her best disapproving glare, "C'mon, I can't afford to be out of shape."

"Couldn't you at least _wait _for a few more days, sensei?" Sakura looked genuinely worried, and much to Kakashi's surprise, he suddenly felt warm all over. This vague feeling of being taken care of reminded him of someone he had buried deep down in his mind. This made him uncomfortable and so he stood up to put his shirt on. He heard her sigh tiredly behind him and it effectively made him feel guilty.

Sakura stood up and brushed invisible lint off her skirt. "I'll go prepare dinner."

* * *

She regretted going out of the room the moment the sight of Kakashi greeted her from the bathroom, "Oh Kami, didn't anyone told you the use of a _towel_??" She abruptly turned her back and covered her eyes. It wasn't an awful sight, mind you… but seeing a man naked, walking freely around the living room, and Kakashi no less, caused permanent blindness to Sakura's poor eyes.

Kakashi just chuckled and probably looked amused. "I guess old habits die hard."

Sakura was blushing like there was no tomorrow. _Is that blood trickling down my nose??_ She prayed silently to the heavens that Kakashi at least brought fresh clothes out of his cabinet, which was inside his room, the room she's currently sleeping in.

She heard rustling and that brought the assumption that Kakashi was getting dressed. _Oh no… now naked Kakashi will be forever imprinted in my mind._ Actually, she doesn't find it disturbing at all. On the contrary… she had another thing to brag about to the Kakashi fan girls.

For years she yearned to see the man behind the mask… instead she saw the whole package but not the mysterious face. It was absolutely ridiculous to be naked with a mask covering the lower portion of your face. It just proved how ridiculous Kakashi really was.

"You can turn around now,"

"Are you decent??"

Kakashi chuckled at that, "Are we still talking about me being naked here?"

"Sensei!"

"C'mon, Sakura…" She turned and found Kakashi already half-dressed. That's when she noticed the rolled bandage on his hand. "Can you give me a hand?"

"Of course," She walked towards him and took the offered bandage, her eyes still glued to the floor.

Kakashi noted the faint blush on her cheeks. "I'm sorry… I'm still adjusting with you living here…" It wasn't his intention to embarrass the young medic. Somehow, it slipped his mind that there was a nineteen year old, beautiful medic-nin sleeping inside his bedroom. One thing he hated about surgeries: General Anesthesia(1).

"I understand," she sincerely replied. She herself still couldn't grasp the fact that she was living in _Kakashi's_ apartment. The envious looks she received from the hospital staff after announcing the reason of her temporary leave made her realize that she must be the luckiest girl in Konoha. Hatake Kakashi is one of Konoha's desirable bachelors.

Kakashi sat on the couch and let her do what she needed to do. She cleaned the wound first with antiseptic before wrapping it with gauze and then bandaged it. She sat in front of him, locking the last clip around his waist. "Aren't you going to that homecoming party?" he suddenly asked.

Sakura was half expecting him to ask that question. She mentally cursed Naruto for being a loudmouth that he is. She shrugged her shoulders and double-checked her masterpiece, "I don't feel like going."

Kakashi lifted an amused brow, "You don't feel like it or you just don't want to go? There's a difference." He figured it had something to do with Sasuke… since it's obviously his homecoming party.

Sakura pinned him with a stare that said 'drop it' before getting up. She packed the first-aid kit with her back to him, "I'm tired."

"I don't think Naruto will be pleased."

Guilt immediately gnawed her. Her grip on the first-aid kit tightened. She slowly half-turned towards him and said, "You play the perfect conscience. Are you my conscience?"

"Yes, and we haven't spoken for awhile." Kakashi sighed and leaned leisurely back on the couch, "Just go, Sakura. I'm not leaving this apartment, I swear." He placed a palm over his heart as a sign of sincerity.

"Trust me, that's not what I'm worried about." She threw a look over her shoulder at him before returning the kit back inside the bathroom cabinet. "And besides, I have an excuse." She told him as she came out.

"What if I want to go?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Sakura, I was forbidden to sign-up for missions, not sacrifice my non-existing social life."

"You can't go!"

"Now you're being selfish." That struck the medic hard and felt as if she was sinking down in the over-used cushion of the couch.

Kakashi mimicked her position and laid his head on the back of the couch and stared up at the lazy ceiling fan. Both sat there in silence, wishing that this conversation never started.

Sakura closed her eyes and sighed. She started mumbling indecipherable noises.

Kakashi turned his head and asked, "I'm sorry, were you saying something?"

She looked uncertain for a moment before sitting up and facing him entirely. "Can I trust you?" Her tone was definitely foreboding and yet insulting all at the same time.

"I'm hurt, Sakura-chan."

"Just answer the question." Then silently added, "Please?"

Kakashi looked at her silently and then nodded, "You can trust me." Somewhere in his mind, he could hear bells jiggling. _Do I smell victory here?_

"Alright, promise me you'll never tell this to anyone."

_B-I-N-G-O_, Congratulating bells ringed loudly inside his head. "I'm not really sure…"

"Just promise me!" Sakura snapped and then took deep calming breaths, "Okay?"

Kakashi nodded slowly and finally said, "I promise, I won't tell anyone."

"Great," Sakura nodded and appeared like she was still encouraging herself to talk. "Look, you're the first person I'm ever discussing this issue with."

"Such an honor," he replied with mirth as anger darkened the girl's eyes. "I should commemorate this day with a plaque." And that earned him a pillow thrown in his direction.

She got pure, unadulterated pleasure when it smacked him right in the face. "I'm serious."

Kakashi lightly rubbed his nose and nodded, "Yes, yes, I understand." He told her while in the process, getting all the throw pillows and placing it on _his_ side. It never hurts to be safe. Even if it was a pillow, Sakura's strength converted it into a stone of some sort. _I'm afraid she just broke my nose._

"Do you know why I'm telling you this?" When Kakashi shook his head, she rolled her eyes, "I want us to_ bond_, sensei."

Kakashi lifted an eyebrow at that, "Bond?"

"Well, after our team separated… I kinda felt _lonely_, you know? I mean, it made me realize that we're all growing out of our skins. Naruto's the only person in our team who kept in touch with me… Sasuke, well, I'm currently not on good terms with that bastard right now… and then you," Kakashi felt a particular urge to give his full attention on this part, "We merely exchange nods and that's all."

True, Kakashi never really had the time to talk with his former students. It's not that he's avoiding them or anything. He had other important things to do than chitchat and he assumed that they were busy in their own fields as well. He supposed that exchanging 'hellos' wasn't enough unless they really had the time to actually _talk_. "Sakura…"

"I want to know the person I'm living with for god knows how long…" She finally said and then looking away, afraid of looking straight into his eye, "I don't want to live with a stranger."

He understood her point and nodded, "I see."

"And I'm expecting you'll do the same thing." She grinned and offered her hand, "Do we have a deal?"

What kind of things does she want to know about him? Somehow, it frightened him. He never felt comfortable when people pried their noses into his personal life. But then, Sakura had a point. They _are_ living under the same roof for a week or so. It's only proper to know each other and this conversation will serve as their first stepping stone.

With that conclusion, Kakashi shook hands with her and said, "Deal."

**TBC**

* * *

**AN: **Thank you **tootalltygerlily **for the thorough beta-read. I couldn't have done it without you! And as for the Gen. Anesthesia, here's the reason why that sentence is appropriate for the context of that paragraph:

**(1)** Since Gen. Anesthesia is a CNS depressant, it may temporarily or permanently cause short-term memory loss.


	4. Down the memory lane

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**Four**

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_

* * *

_

_Sakura's flashback…_

* * *

"Sasuke-kun… What's wrong?" Sakura stood up and walked away from a group of kids in Hinata's team. She looked at the man standing a few feet away from her, breathless and gaunt. "What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to train your students today?" Yes, Uchiha Sasuke was a teacher and now leads Team 4 for the upcoming Chuunin exams. It was one of his prerequisites given to him before he could sign up on A or S-class missions.

Sasuke's hand swiftly took her wrist and began to drag her away. "We need to talk." Was all he said, ignoring the stares the genins were sending them.

Trust Sasuke to manhandle her like this. It was actually part of his personality. Sakura would probably literally jump off a cliff if he would turn into some kind of a chivalrous prince on a white horse.

"Where are you taking me?" She demanded angrily as she was dragged to the far corner of the academy. The next thing she knew, she was standing in a narrow alley with Sasuke standing close to her. Close as in invading personal space. She felt a blush coming and her heart couldn't stop pounding inside her chest.

"Sasuke-kun…"

"Marry me."

Her eyes widened like saucers and her mouth fell agape, "What?" she dumbly asked.

Sasuke looked straight into her eyes and repeated his impromptu proposal, "Marry me, Sakura."

A lot of things processed in the young girl's mind. Like, why was Sasuke-kun asking her to marry him? Or why was he proposing to her in an alley? There was only one conclusion she could think of; t_his must be a joke!_ But then again, this was not something he would easily joke about. And knowing Sasuke, he never jokes. _Oh no…_

She felt herself bubble out with amused laughter, "What are you saying? We're still dating and we're not even exclusive yet so…" A few weeks ago, Sasuke finally asked her out on a date and she willingly accepted. It was fairly obvious that she was still smitten by the gorgeous Uchiha. And when they started dating, Sakura never felt so happy. Even her best friend, Ino couldn't help but to express extreme happiness for her. Only two weeks had passed and now Sasuke was proposing to her. It was all surreal; that's why she couldn't force herself to believe it.

Sasuke's eyes hardened with what could've been the coldest glare she had ever received from him. Like something inside Sasuke was tearing apart when she brushed off his proposal and laughed.

He didn't even ask her to marry him.

He demanded it.

"Does this mean you refuse to marry me?"

Sakura shook her head, "Sasuke-kun… We're talking about marriage here. I just turned eighteen… " She nervously laughed and then reached out to rub his tense shoulders. When the scowl on his face remained, her smile faltered, "What's wrong?" She was stunned when he removed her hands and turned away.

And just like that, he walked away from her.

* * *

It had been three days and Sasuke still made no effort to see her. Sakura tried to reach him but he seemed to always find a way to avoid her. As if her emotion weren't enough, the weather was horrible. There was a storm coming and rain fell non-stop since morning. It effectively weighed down everything, including her dampening mood.

Ino was worried while watching Sakura punched holes through the walls of their shared apartment. They may not be your average best-friends, since they mostly fight rather than actually confide like true friends do, but she's the only one whom Ino could actually relate with. And she hated the fact that she couldn't do anything when Sakura was the one who needed a helping hand.

Ino followed her, argued with her, and resented her. Sakura forgave her resentment, even after cutting each other's long hair. Forgiving suited her. It was her hobby. Perhaps that's why she liked to argue so much. In the same way that Sakura forgave others and continued to love them, she was apparently able to forgive her own weakness and to continue to love herself. When Naruto and Sasuke progressed and gotten stronger, she refused to be left out and trained in her own field.

It was a trait Ino envied and tried to do unsuccessfully, as she did with many of Sakura's traits, to emulate.

They were both bossy, but Sakura was bossy in an abundant, inclusive way, while she tended to be merely imperious. There was no subject safe between the two, no statement, no observation. They debated for weeks, marshaling their tautological** (1)** arguments with increasing passion and certainty. It didn't matter who won. It was a game they would never get tired of playing.

"This is bad," Tenten muttered breathlessly as another hole was punctured into the once pristine wall.

"I know," Ino whined, "We might have to move out again…"

Hinata looked nervously at Sakura's odd behavior, "Did he try to call her?"

Ino shook her blond head, "Not a sign of _him_ for three days. It's taking a toll on our pink monster." She immediately called reinforcements when situations like this got out of hand. Tenten cringed at the sound of the crumbling brick and mortar.

"I think _someone_ should stop her." Hinata suggested. Then her gaze as well as Tenten's fixed on the blond standing between them.

Ino glared, "Don't look at me. The last time I did that, she punched me." Her hand absently fondled her face, "I almost lost my nose."

Tenten irritably scratched her cheek, "But _we _have to do something!"

"I can't believe she's letting Sasuke affect her this way." Ino was annoyed. Actually, she's angry with Sasuke for rousing the monster within Sakura for the nth time!

"I know… it's not like she expects him to strut in here and shower her with sweet nothings." Tenten said. "That guy's the coldest, meanest, most arrogant person I've ever known."

Silence stretched at her spat of negative adjectives.

"_Strut_?" Ino lifted an eyebrow. Hinata sighed.

"_What_?" Tenten squawked.

"You do know she's here, right?" Hinata asked as she noticed Sakura glare in their direction from the living room.

"Oh shut it," both Tenten and Ino said in unison.

"I'm just telling the truth." Tenten shrugged her shoulders, "I really don't see why she went out with that bastard. What's so special about him anyway?" Tenten scrunched her nose to emphasize her distaste.

"Oh I don't know," Ino humored her, "maybe because he's extremely _handsome_, smart, sexy and undeniably gorgeous? And… oh yeah, he's a prodigy too!" Who could blame here for spouting such adjectives about Sasuke? She _used to be_ the president of his fanclub for heaven's sake!

"So what? They call **Neji **a prodigy too."

"And you think Neji's any better?" Ino said.

"Hey... stop right there." Tenten blushed and quickly looked away. "But still… she should've dated Neji when he asked _her_."

"I'm right _here,_" Sakura shrieked from the couch, "Don't talk about me as if—" And yet she was gloriously ignored.

Ino smirked slyly at their brown-haired friend, "Dear, your words are laced with bitterness."

"Shut up."

Hinata couldn't help but to join in the conversation just to have the opportunity to tease Tenten, "Do you think nii-chan would've been a better boyfriend for her?"

"Yeah, I guess." Tenten shrugged her shoulders again.

"BITTER."

"Damn it, I'm not!"

Hinata laughed, "Oh Ten-chan, you're so predictable."

"Hinata!"

"You guys are horrible." Sakura muttered dejectedly as she approached the group.

"S-Sakura-chan?" Hinata greeted as Sakura took the chair next to hers. "I know this may sound silly but… How are you feeling?" Her tone was laced with sincere concern and worry.

They waited for a good fifteen seconds until she replied, "Fine." And then her head dropped on the table with a thud. "Ow…"

The three shared a look.

That only means one thing.

Haruno Sakura was a mess.

Ino pitifully sighed, "Alright, that's it!" She stood up hastily and dropped her hands on the table, "I have to do something before our apartment falls down around our ears."

"Ino, please," Sakura mumbled, which was smothered by the mahogany table.

"No. Enough is enough." She grabbed her jacket and umbrella and headed towards the door.

Sakura raised her head, "Where are you going??"

Ino grinned, "You'll see. I swear you'll thank me when I get back."

And then the door was shut behind her.

* * *

That night, Sakura waited patiently until she heard the front door open and make a familiar creaking noise. Her eyes drifted away from the window and onto the blond girl who walked across the room through darkness.

"Where have you been? Its late." She reprimanded Ino, who was stunned to see her lying on the couch. Ino unfortunately collided with the coffee table. "Turn on the lights, idiot."

"Oh yeah, ha-ha. Damn that hurts…" Ino sounded flustered as she groped for the switch near the front door. "I thought you were in bed already." When the light was on, Sakura saw a nervous, disheveled looking Ino standing in front of her. She looked like she had been attacked by a mob of cats.

Sakura frowned, "What happened to you?"

"Nothing!" Ino squeaked and then hastily headed towards her bedroom.

"Have you seen Sasuke?"

The question brought Ino in an abrupt halt. She didn't dare turn and said, "I—well, no… err." Finally taking a deep breath, she faced Sakura and smiled, more like forced herself to smile, "… It seems he's on a mission…"

"Oh…"

The depressed look on Sakura's face made Ino feel absolutely awful. She sat next to her and gently patted her back, "Come on, stop moping. You're not gonna cry are you?"

"Shut up." Sakura mumbled weakly.

"Hey, forehead girl…" Ino called, earning a scowl from the other. "Why don't you try dating again?"

Sakura looked at her as if she had just grown two heads. "Are you crazy?"

"Hasn't it ever crossed your mind that maybe… just maybe you and Sasuke-kun…" Ino swallowed hard, "Aren't meant to be together?"

Sakura laughed dryly, "You're kidding right?"

Ino looked like she wanted to say more but ended up biting the inside of her lip, "Yeah… sure."

"Your consoling skills amaze me, you know?" Sakura grinned and Ino was forced to smile back.

* * *

A few days later, Sakura had enough of Sasuke's silence and decided to confront him at his apartment. Knocking on the front door, she waited impatiently, shifting from foot to foot. After a few minutes with no answer, she turned the handle checking to see if it was locked. When the door sprang open beneath her fingers, a sense of dread came over her. _Sasuke-kun never leaves the door unlocked._

Walking through the darkened apartment, she quietly called his name. "Sasuke-kun…"

Noticing his bedroom door closed, she walked up to it and knocked softly. _Maybe he's sleeping. _Opening the door, she called out his name again. "Sasuke-kun…"

What she saw inside that dark room killed her… literally. Her grip tightened around the knob, her blood run cold and a strange feeling came over her.

"Sakura!"

"Shit."

"Oh god!—This isn't what it looks like!" She could see a blond head rousing from the bed while the other gathered some scattered clothes from the floor.

Her eyes blurred with silent tears. _This is not… I can't believe it… how could they!_ Her chest tightened, she couldn't breathe. It was as if every ounce of energy within her was drained.

And when green eyes met onyx, the dam burst and she couldn't stop the flow of tears.

"Sakura, please!" Ino, now known as her _ex-best friend_ clutched the blanket around her tightly. "Let me explain."

Sakura sharply turned and made a move to run when suddenly, a hand shot up and grabbed her wrist. She turned and glared at Sasuke who looked calm with the sudden turn of events."

"We need to talk."

It hurt her that they betrayed her… but it hurts more because Sasuke looked like it was no big deal to him. There was no hint of sadness or fear on his face. He was just stunned at her appearance in his bedroom and that was it.

Sakura was strong and it wasn't surprising when she easily tore her hand free from his vice-like grip. "You _disgust_ me." She spat venomously before dashing off.

And that's when everything started. Friendship and trust were ruined. Anger and betrayal ensued.

* * *

The very next day, Sakura left the apartment she and Ino shared. She moved back into her parents' house uttering not a word to her mother when she asked what happened. She knew for sure every person in Konoha already heard what happened so what's the point of telling. Embarrassed and extremely disappointed, Sakura locked herself inside her room for days, and this troubled her apprenticeship with the Fifth.

A week was all Tsunade could tolerate. Sakura was _literally_ dragged out of the house and was forced to endure painful training under the Fifth. It felt more like a boot camp.

Eventually that made her forget somewhat and the incident actually drove her to work twice as hard than before. She tried her best to avoid the two as much as possible. And so far, she was successful. Sasuke remained as the bastard that he was and made no effort to console her. Ino's apologies however were thrown straight to the trash bin.

No one could describe the relief she felt when she heard about the year long mission in Sand that was assigned to Sasuke, Ino and Kiba. She profusely thanked Tsunade, for she knew she's the one who was responsible for this.

"You're clearly mistaken, my dear apprentice." Tsunade drawled lazily while idly watching her hand sign yet another document. "I didn't do it because of you. I think those three are capable for this mission. Don't flatter yourself." But despite that, Sakura couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face. She still thanked the blonde Hokage before leaving her office. She could've sworn she saw a hint of a smile on her mentor's face before she closed the door.

Their disappearance wouldn't be permanent. _Oh well, I still got a year to deal with it._ And for the first time since that awful incident, Sakura felt like grinning like there was no tomorrow.

**TBC**

* * *

**AN:** Thanks for the review guys and don't hesitate to leave on this one! And to my wonderful betareader, thank you so much for helping me on this. This would probably the hardest chapter I've ever written in this story. I'm trying my best not to make OOC (I'm crossing fingers now). I hope I reached your expectations. Please do wait for the upcoming chapters!

**(1) Tautological- **unnecessary repetition within a statement of the same thing in different words.


	5. Kakashi and Naruto's plot

-x-

**Five**

-x-

It was unnerving having Kakashi stare down at her like that. He was silent through-out Sakura's story-telling and when she finished retelling her angst-filled memory, Kakashi looked like he was about to fall asleep. "Are you even listening to me?" she whined loudly and poked his shoulder hard.

Kakashi's lazy eye lifted towards her and continued to stare at her, "You found out that Sasuke and Ino betrayed you and now you're pissed off and at the same time nervous because you'll get to see them again."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders, "Well, at least you analyzed the situation very well." Then she scowled, "Can you please empathize with me? I feel miserable and you're grinning like an idiot."

Indeed, the copy-nin was grinning. But not because he enjoyed listening to other people's depressing lives but because he was amused with the mix of facial expressions on Sakura's face while talking. One minute she's the sad, betrayed, depressed teenager and the next thing you know, she's all fired up and ready to beat someone into a bloody pulp. "Well, what do you want me to do?" he asked lightly.

"Excuse me?"

"We _bonded_, I listened… Now, do you want to hear my sincere advice?"

Sakura frowned, while scratching an itch on her cheek, "I'm not sure about the _sincere _part, but _okay_… its part of _bonding_ after all."

He couldn't help the feeling of shame wash over him at the thought that crossed his mind whenever she mentioned that word. **Bonding**… he always pictured girls in pajamas; sleep overs and strewn feathered pillows. Kakashi mentally shuddered. "Forgive… but never forget." He eloquently said. _Bravo…_

She was hoping he'd say something like 'revenge' or 'punch Sasuke to oblivion'. But of course Kakashi wasn't like that. Even though sometimes he acted like a pubescent with raging hormones, he's still older and mentally mature, "Are you mad?" Sakura spat.

Slightly insulted, Kakashi gave up and replied, "No, but I think I _am_ now." Hatake Kakashi doesn't _bond_. Copy-nin, Kakashi doesn't give _love advices_. Kakashi doesn't share things, specifically anything concerning personal issues, with others and vice versa. _So what the hell am I doing now?_ Kakashi sighed and stood up with a little wince. His suture stretched after sitting too long, causing a dull pain.

"Wait, where are you going?" Sakura was a little surprised at Kakashi's leaving.

"Sakura… it's been a year." He said with his back turned to her. He could tell the medic was intently listening to him as an unwelcome silence followed. "I never took you as someone who kept grudges." As if adding insult to injury, he said, "Learn to accept reality… running away from it will never solve anything."

That was an effective way to dampen her mood. Her jaw dropped and her mind turned numb after his words struck her hard in the face. _Couldn't you understand? They betrayed me… my best friend and boyfriend... how could they?_ A year had already passed and she never expected to hurt this much. Time passed, but still the questions remained unanswered. _How could you do this to me, Sasuke?_ Her fists tightened in her lap and barely noticed Kakashi throwing a worried glance at her.

Kakashi's very straight to the point and always honest at times, brutally so. He never learned to sweeten the truth because he thought people should deal with his directness. Its part of learning and learning is part of change. It was not his place to interfere, but since Sakura gave him the privilege to hear her point of view, he guessed a little advice would not hurt.

"I… I'm speechless…" she said a little breathlessly.

Kakashi chuckled just to lighten the tension, "'I'm Speechless' is a speech." He said, mollified by this linguistic triumph.

She pouted without even knowing it. "Sensei…" A defensive growl and then her eyes softened. Naruto and Kakashi were right… she should face this and be done with it. A year of pretenses doesn't suit her well and it wrecked her physically and mentally. And besides, she already saw the enemy this morning. A little chit-chat with her wouldn't hurt. Sasuke however… she wasn't sure if she could actually act civil with that idiot.

"I hate to say this but—I think you're right." She immediately cut him short when he was about to say 'I told you so', "Before you go all witty on me… I just want you to know that," it's clear that this was difficult for her and it brought a heavy sigh out of her lips, "I've decided to go to the party tonight… I'll talk to Sasuke and Ino." Her tongue felt thick as she mentioned those names, "I want to hear their side…" When she looked up, she saw a sincere smile grace Kakashi's face. She thought that mask really looked ridiculous on him, noting that he's wearing ordinary clothes.

Basically, she just despised the mask.

They stood there, looking at each other, willing the other to break the silence. As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Sakura sent Kakashi a curious look and was surprised to find the man smiling knowingly.

"Ah, just in time."

* * *

"I can't believe this…" Sakura irritatingly said between gritted teeth as she and Naruto walked their way down to the capital. "I've been played by two idiots… God, I hate you guys." Her glare of death stabbed Naruto multiple times.

There was a conspiracy behind the _talk_ she had with Kakashi. Apparently, Naruto asked Kakashi to convince her in exchange for the new volume of Jiraiya's dirty novel. Lo and behold, Kakashi prevailed just in the nick of time. When she told him that she finally decided to attend Sasuke's homecoming party, Naruto mysteriously appeared on his doorstep.

Naruto laughed with both hands tucked behind his head, "I can't believe Kakashi-sensei really convinced you." He deftly avoided the knee that was about to take away his chances of having any children.

Sakura looked like she was about to burst into tears. She turned heavenward and exclaimed, "Oh why, why did I trust him? I should've known better… That cocky bastard!"

"C'mon, Sakura-chan. Kakashi-sensei was also concerned so I asked him to try and talk to you. I guess that turned out well, considering that you're out here with me tonight." He added the latter as an afterthought.

Her head whip-lashed towards the clueless Naruto. "You made me spout personal things to KAKASHI-SENSEI! _You_ made me _bond_ with him!"

Naruto frowned, "I didn't force you to do anything. You did all that on your own."

Sakura buried her face between her palms and whined, "I feel so humiliated…"

Naruto couldn't understand why Sakura felt so bad about it. He thought Kakashi did well in the _talking_ department since he himself couldn't convince Sakura to do something after a few hours. It took him days… even months! And Hatake Kakashi only used two-hours of his time. _Yeah, cocky-bastard._

Before they knew it, they were now standing in front of a nice diner _slash_ pub where the party was being held.

"I'll kill you for this, Naruto."

"Yeah, yeah, I know…" Who wouldn't? Hearing it 24/7 for the past seven years made the blond immune to her empty threats.

"I mean it this time." Her words were immediately drowned by the noise inside the pub as they entered. Sakura took in a lungful of air and then unconsciously sought Naruto's hand. The blond gave her a startled look and she intertwined their fingers, "Don't leave my side." She told him, her eyes pleading.

Naruto swallowed a lump down his throat and then nodded, squeezing her hand back. "Yeah, sure." He smiled and pulled her through the crowd. It was times like this when Sakura realized how lucky she really was to have a friend like him.

Sakura kept her head low, hoping that no one noticed her. _Like that's possible!_ Everyone she's probably acquainted with filled the whole area. She winced a little when a bouncy guy in a green jumpsuit approached them. _Oh no…_

"Hey, Naruto—wah! Sakura-chan! My beloved rosebud, thy mystic goddess of my summer dreams, the epitome of my existence—" And so the list of metaphors gushed continuously out of Lee's mouth.

"Ah, Lee-kun." Sakura's mouth made a twisted, forced smile, "How have you been?"

"Oh, the days of not seeing your beautiful face, it was horrible… horrible, I tell you! When I was—"

Sakura leaned towards Naruto's ear and whispered, "There's no stopping him, huh?"

Naruto scratched his cheek, "I guess not. Ah, Sasuke!" He waved frantically, looking over her head. And so she guessed the last person she wanted to see, was standing a few feet behind her.

That whooshed all the oxygen out of her lungs. Her knees started to shake and she felt like throwing-up.

Naruto worriedly glanced down at her and nudged her shoulder, "Oi, Sakura-chan, you okay?"

She palmed her mouth and literally turned green. "I need to go to the bathroom." She removed her hand from Naruto's grasp and hurriedly headed toward the lavatory. On the way there, she heard someone calling her name, asides from Naruto who tried to reach her through the thickening crowd. She fleetingly glanced at the table in the far corner and saw Tenten and Hinata waving at her. Not to mention there was a silent blond haired girl sitting between them, looking like she wasn't having the time of her life as well.

Sakura ignored them and went off, eventually bumping shoulders with Shikamaru who almost dropped his drink.

"Sakura?"

She walked hurriedly past him and searched desperately for the _freakin'_ bathroom. With so many people blocking her way, she didn't care anymore where she was going. As long as she was away from those two, she'll feel better. And for some odd reason, she ended up clutching hard on the mahogany finish of the diner's bar, her stomach doing unpleasant flip-flops.

"Isn't it a little too early for you to drown your misery in liquor?" a voice hovered beside her in a disapproving manner. She turned and saw none other than Hatake Kakashi casually sitting on a bar stool, his chin propped lazily on his fist.

"What the—" It seems vocabulary failed her tonight, "Why are you—geez, you're not drinking, are you??"

Kakashi sighed and tipped his glass towards her, "Its water. Taste it if you want." He didn't expect her to actually take the bait and drink the whole glass. Kakashi sweat-dropped, "Are you alright?"

Sakura dropped the glass with a thud and breathed heavily, "This is your fault."

"Ha? Me?" the copy-nin dumbly pointed at himself.

"You _made_ me attend this stupid party," she angrily accused. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Kakashi's lip curled into a teasing smile, "I'm here for Sasuke's homecoming party." Then he turned towards the bartender and ordered sake.

When the alcohol was served, Sakura's hand shot through the air like lightning and took the sake away. "No drinking." She protectively blocked the shot-glass away from his vision.

"Sakura, I'm fine. A little alcohol wouldn't hurt." Kakashi told her in a consoling manner.

Sakura scoffed, "I'm sorry, sensei, but I'm already breaking the rules as it is." She gave a pointed-glare at his mere presence with distaste, "Please don't wreck my medic career?" That brought a tired sigh out of her lips, "Oh no wait, you already did…" She tipped the shot glass and drank its contents. Well, there goes Kakashi's sake.

What would Tsunade say if she finds out that Kakashi slipped passed her watchful eye? More importantly, what would Yoshino-sensei, Kakashi's physician say if she finds out that the intern she so despised, failed to stop his patient from drinking and eventually left a burning trail on his still healing organs. Oh the horror…

Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose, "Sakura… we already talked about this. I thought you said you're willing to settle this?"

"Hm, that reminds me," she shot him a glare that promised a painful jab in the balls, "I'm mad at you."

It amazed him how Sakura could easily change from one mood to another, like a chameleon thrown in a pile of colorful t-shirts. "Ah, I wonder why…"

"You and Naruto plotted against me! You-you…!" She then remembered telling the same thing to Naruto earlier and had eventually gotten tired of it. She motioned for the bartender for another shot then her head whipped back to Kakashi, "How dare you!"

Kakashi couldn't decide whether to laugh out loud or hit his head on the nearest hard object. It took him years and this lame D-rank mission to realize that Haruno Sakura was eccentric. _Eccentric_ was an understatement. "Sakura, stop blaming other people and face your own problems." He watched her eyes widen and the look of shock spread on her face. Still maintaining the serious look on his face, he told her, "You do know he's standing right behind you, right?" His eye met Sasuke's passive stare while pointing at him.

Sakura's eyes widened, hoping to the gods that Kakashi was joking. Curiosity got the better of her and she turned abruptly to see Sasuke standing behind them. Surprisingly, the rest of the patrons stopped whatever they were doing and stared at them.

Uchiha Sasuke looked at Sakura and then at Kakashi. Then a look of disgust surfaced on his passive face. The crowd waited with bated breaths.

_This is awkward…_ Kakashi mused lightly as his hand secretly hovered above Sakura's sake. Sakura smacked his hand and he withdrew it pathetically. There's no escaping those watchful green eyes.

"Sakura." Sasuke finally said after recovering from the shock of seeing Sakura with Kakashi.

"Sasuke." She returned the cold gesture just to complete the cliché scene.

Naruto suddenly jumped into the scene, letting out a loud, nervous laugh, "Maa, maa! What a coincidence! Why, Sakura-chan… You're here. Oh, Sasuke-no-baka! Ah, reunion between friends… aren't you—" While talking utter nonsense, Sakura was already preparing to punch her idiotic blond friend.

"Shut up!" Sakura hit him hard in the face and sent Naruto flying across the room. Everyone practically turned to stone in fear.

Sasuke felt uncomfortable under everyone's gaze. "We need to talk… in _private_." He then turned and headed down the hall leading to the back door of the tavern. Everyone followed the Uchiha's movement until he disappeared behind the steel door. Then their attention went back to Sakura who just stood there, glaring at particularly nothing.

Kakashi sat silently, looking like he was about to fall asleep again.

Naruto was bleeding and his hand was twitching, seeking for help.

Sakura sighed heavily and followed Sasuke.

* * *

Once the door was shut, Sakura faced the dark figure leaning against the wall with both arms crossed. "I'm giving you five minutes." She told him harshly as she stood, body tense.

Sasuke stepped out of the shadows and the pale moonlight illuminated his profile. "Don't worry, I'll make it fast."

Sakura released a very un-lady-like snort, "You want to get rid of me immediately, I understand."

"That's not what I meant." Sasuke said sharply, his teeth snarling in his defense.

Her eyes narrowed, her chest tightened as the sudden rush of memories overcame her. Here before her stood the man who **cheated** on her. Still, one was not Buddha. One was a human being, flesh and blood and nerve endings that sent chemical messages to one's brain. And those messages said, 'Die, Sasuke.'

They stood there, facing each other, both waiting for the other to say something. She tried to analyze the situation but ended up asking the questions that haunted her for god knows how long inside her head. Like, 'Why did you cheat on me?', 'How could you?' or, 'Why INO??'. She wanted to ask so many questions but words failed her. _Why? Why now?_

"You… you and I would've never worked. We're a mess." He finally told her, his face, as passive as it was, appeared like he was trying to hide his emotions.

Sakura frowned. That wasn't what she was expecting. "You decided that overnight?" She sneered too, a very unsatisfying sneer, with a curled lip.

"No." he said with a shake of his head, "From the start I knew it was never meant to be."

The way Sasuke looked, the way he stood, the way he appeared like he knew so much better than she did made her very, very angry. He was talking in riddles and she couldn't understand the meaning behind them. She was frustrated, annoyed and above all, pissed off. She was the one who's supposed to question their relationship, and here he was analyzing the failure of their relationship. _What the hell??_ She was more furious than she'd ever been in a long time.

Her eyes hurt, her head hurt, her chest hurt and she felt nauseous. "I only refused your proposal and you suddenly think our relationship was a waste of time? That's absurd!"

"It's not—"

"What do you expect me to do, Sasuke? I couldn't possibly say _yes_! It was so sudden… and I only turned 18 for crying out loud!"

"Sakura…"

"And then you vanished! You never came to see me… you didn't even return my calls!"

"I—"

"I was miserable, Sasuke! _You_ made _me_ miserable! I cried, you idiot! You made me cry again…" It seemed Sakura couldn't stop herself from blaming him. Her eyes burned with unshed tears as the last part of that awful episode in her life flashed in her mind, "You slept with my best friend… you hurt me you bastard! You-you—how dare _you_?!" There, she said it! Now she would die in peace. Her whole short life had been lived in a jumble of improperly catalogued perceptions, everything filed carefully in the wrong drawer, and now she would die having understood nothing.

"It was not about the proposal!" his tone rising a notch. It was evident that Sasuke was getting upset as well.

Her eyes widened at that. "It's _not_?" she faintly said, feeling her world turn completely upside down. All her energy was drained from that endless monologue. Was that regret in Sasuke's eyes or was that just a trick of the moonlight flashing in his dark eyes?

Sasuke's hands fisted at his sides as his passive face crumbled little by little. "I can't believe after all this time… you haven't realized…"

Sakura looked confused, her brows knitting tightly together. "What are you trying to say?" His hand suddenly grabbed her and she fell right into him. She was too stunned to react and felt her breath hitch when she felt his arms envelope her.

He pulled her closer and placed his mouth near her ear, "I—never wanted to let go. But you made me."

Sakura felt her chest tighten stronger than before. Her nose was buried at the juncture of his neck and shoulder. She breathed in the familiar scent that made her warm all over. As much as she hated to admit it, she actually missed this. This closeness, this intimacy, this embrace. And she had to remind herself that this was **Uchiha Sasuke**… the man who made her cry a thousand times. She closed her eyes tightly, pretending that they were in a different situation, in a different scene where Sasuke loved Sakura. Her hand fisted the back of his shirt as she told him, "I loved you…" _loved _and not _love._ There was a difference. No matter how much she missed this, the hurt was still there. And after a year of separation, her feelings changed.

"Sometimes _love_ alone is not enough." He told her and then the warmth was gone.

Maybe Sasuke was right. Maybe they were a mess.

**TBC**

* * *

**AN:** Ty _**tootalltygerlily**_ for the beta! And about that thing you asked... I guess I failed to put the word BONDING in that paragraph. I hope you understand now why I mentioned that.

BTW, thanks for the people who reviewed! I'm feeling the love here and I highly appreciate it! I'm glad the story finally made sense. I can see that the last chapter indeed explained Sakura's issues with Sasuke and Ino. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint you though. Please leave a review and let me know what _you_ think.


	6. Where Kakashi demanded RAMEN

-x-

**Six**

-x-

Sakura went back to Kakashi's apartment at half past ten. She left the bar immediately after that awkward encounter with Sasuke. She didn't gain anything from that conversation. The only thing she was sure of was their relationship was officially over. Deep inside Sakura, she felt a little relieved. _But I'm confused still. We never got the chance to talk about what brought up that marriage proposal._ She groaned loudly at that while tugging her hair out. The tension was so thick she forgot the real reason why she wanted to talk to him! _Darn._

She went straight to bed, cradled in fatigue and emotional stress. Her eyes were red and puffy and her nose felt clogged. _Stupid Sasuke…_ No matter how many times she looked back at her relationship with him, and at its untimely demise, she could not decipher it. She laid down on Kakashi's bed, closed her eyes, and tried to picture what happened last year.

"_Sometimes love is not enough…"_

_What exactly did he mean by that? _Was she being ungrateful? And petty? Was the breakup _her_ fault and not Sasuke's?? Her head hurt just from analyzing. What on earth had she done to him, anyway? She went through the possibilities again and again. Insufficient appreciation? Hardly. An excess of appreciation, then? Sasuke had never minded appreciation, and he had been equally devoted to her. General obnoxiousness? An unintended insult? Did she borrow money from him and never paid him back? Nothing she came up made any sense.

Her eyes grew heavy and finally sleep overcame her.

_Wait a minute…_

Her eyes flew wide and she gasped loudly, "Kakashi!"

* * *

She could not believe she's retracing her steps back to that pub. The place she wanted to pretend never existed. When she reached it, it was already past eleven thirty and the place was still flooded with people. Gathering all the courage she could muster, she took one step ahead… and then took couple backwards. What if Sasuke's standing near the doorway? What if he's with Naruto? What if he's with Ino? What if he's talking with Kakashi? Sakura fell and ended up sitting on the cold pavement, her head buried in her arms. Passerby's stared at the odd pink-haired medic, wondering what could've happened.

"People are staring at you."

She looked up and saw Kakashi grinning in amusement at her. _He looks stupid… okay maybe he looked gorgeously stupid but… argh! No more thinking—thinking is bad!_ She watched him crouch down next to her and place a hand on top of her head. "Don't worry, I'm not drunk. I abstained from alcohol and Genma thinks I'm a saint…"

Sakura's scowl turned severe and she shook the hand off of her head, "I… we should've gone home together. I can't believe I left my patient inside a pub. What would Yoshino-san say if she ever finds out?" She heard a chuckle and she shot him a sharp look.

"Who's this Yoshino, anyway?"

"She's your doctor, sensei…" she tiredly explained.

"Ah… was that the same woman who tried to molest me yesterday?" he mused.

"It's called _physical examination_." Sakura exasperatedly corrected, a vein already popping on her forehead, "She wasn't trying to molest you."

"Same difference."

Sakura rolled her eyes. A conversation with Kakashi never got boring. She heard his clothes rustle as he stood up and held out his hand. She stared at it and then up to its owner. "C'mon, let's go home."

_Home._ Sakura did not bother to ask what he meant by that and took his hand instead. She stood up, her small hand wrapped by his large one. It was warm and despite the faint blush covering her face, she felt comfortable.

When he let her hand go, Sakura felt the familiar coldness again. Her hand itched to get that warm hand around hers again. But self-control won over and she started following Kakashi. They walked in silence, Kakashi looking forward while Sakura remained staring at her feet.

This gloomy feeling never suited Sakura and it had to stop now. She had enough of the whole Sasuke issue for the day and wanted to forget everything before she went to sleep. She doesn't want to see either Sasuke or Ino in her dreams again. She raised her head and stared at Kakashi's broad back. She remembered how this man talked her out of her shell and helped her finally faced her problems. No one succeeded in doing that except him. Probably it had something to do with how he delivered his words or how mature he sounded. Everything about him was cool and calculated, a complete contrast to his laid-back nature. Come to think of it, she didn't know anything about Kakashi except his name, his age, his frightening obsession with anything Icha Icha and his profession. She knew nothing about his past, his parents or his family even. Again, she was reminded that she had been living with a complete stranger for the past couple of days.

"Ne, sensei?"

Kakashi slightly turned his head to acknowledge her, "Hm?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

Sakura's lip curled, "Don't make me say it. You know exactly what I mean."

Kakashi's lip twitched as it was obscured from Sakura's vision, "No, actually I don't…"

She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. "Fine—Thanks for_… listening_. I really appreciate it." There, she said it! Now, someone do her a favor and stab her in the back.

"I thought you're mad at me because we plotted against you." He just loved ruffling her feathers.

She made an abrupt halt and questioned, "I—well, darn, what do you want me to do?"

Kakashi turned and suggested the impossible, "You can buy me ramen."

Her mouth fell ajar, "No one's selling ramen in the middle of the night!"

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and continued walking ahead of her, "Not my problem."

Sakura hurried her steps and walked beside him, "You, sir, are a very, very infuriating man."

When he smiled, Sakura felt like smiling herself, "That's why you're here for, Sakura. To keep me in my place."

Those words made her warm all-over. _To keep him in his place… _She looked up and saw no signs of humor on his well-schooled features. "Yeah, that's what I'm always good at." She was surprised when he stopped by her side and playfully ruffled her hair. She gave an irritated huff and they both stopped moving.

He stood a few inches away from her with his hand still draped above her head, "You should cut it, you know." He told her, his eyes focused on the tips of pink-hair falling smoothly over her shoulders.

Her breathing hitched realizing that they were _again_ standing way too close. She nervously looked up and watched him touch a few strands of her hair between his fingers. "I-I thought you liked it…" She could still remember that surprising compliment he gave her back at the hospital.

His lips quirked underneath his mask, "But it gives you awful memories, doesn't it?" Was it her of did his voice suddenly sound deeper and more sensual than usual? Dang, did she just thought _sensual_??

"It… does?" she repeated faintly, leaning back on the brick wall behind her. With her heart thumping wildly against her ribcage, she suddenly found it difficult to breathe as he came closer and closer.

Kakashi's fingers traveled from her hair to the flushed flesh of her cheek. "And besides… it makes your face look plumper with longer hair." That definitely brought her out of his spell and felt anger slowly rise within her. Especially when he started pinching her face outward, "See? With shorter hair, you look normal and—"

_PLUMP?? NORMAL??_

Sakura just wanted to kill him.

She pushed him away with vigor. She couldn't believe this guy! She almost—almost—felt flustered with all the touching and the distance and the wafting hot breath against her cheek and the almost—ki—_okay, stop right there!_ She shook her head violently and willed herself to keep herself sane!

"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Neji asked me out on a _date_." She absently rubbed her cheeks before moving on.

Kakashi's eyebrows shot up and went to follow the pink-haired medic, completely reversing their situation a while ago. "You dated **Hyuuga Neji**?" There was a faint tone of disbelief in his question that boiled Sakura's blood all the more. Wasn't she worth it enough to be asked by a Hyuuga?

"I never said anything about dating him," she griped, "I said he asked me out on a date."

Eventually, Kakashi got tired of pushing Sakura's buttons and decided to shut his mouth and walk. He had no idea why, he just didn't feel like it anymore.

The silence made Sakura curious and she cast a fleeting glance towards Kakashi, who was now walking beside her, "Sensei?" When he turned, Sakura smiled, "What's your favorite color?"

"I don't really see the relevance of this question…"

"It's a long walk home and I need to get my mind off of things…" She stopped to breath in deeply and then carried on, "Just play along, will you?"

"Kakashi."

"Huh?" Sakura looked up, quite confused.

Kakashi repeated with patience, "If you want a decent talk between two adults, then stop referring to me as your sensei. That's all I ask." In reality, he couldn't stand hearing a gorgeous nineteen year old calling him teacher. It just sounded _so_ wrong on _so_ many levels.

She didn't understand the significance to what she was telling him earlier until she remembered their conversation back in the hospital. "_Oookay_…" She hoped she didn't sound too enthusiastic. Too late though…

He looked thoughtful for a moment before finally answering, "Orange."

"… I kinda figured that out."

"Really?"

"After seeing that blinding collection of yours, I'd say you've grown to love the color." She said, referring to his stacks of Icha Icha Paradise displayed in the living room.

"True, true." Kakashi nodded at that, giving full credit to her keen observation. "You?"

"Ah well—" before she could answer, Kakashi interrupted her.

"It's not pink, is it?" Her name and hair just screamed 'pink' to him. He hoped he was wrong.

Sakura growled, "I'm sorry, sen-" The copy-nin sent her a warning look, "—Kakashi. But I actually like the color _yellow_…"

"Interesting… Does Naruto's wild hair have anything to do with this?" And so, Kakashi decided to ruffle her feathers again. Joy.

"That's a stupid question." Sakura expected Kakashi to take it back. For some odd reason, he was serious. "Of course not!" she indignantly replied.

"I was just wondering… Care to elaborate?" She just stared at him as if waiting for him to further elaborate _his _own question. "Why do you like yellow? You pretty much knew the reason why I liked mine."

Sakura frowned, "I'm not really sure but… I guess it had something to do with that first daisy Ino gave to me…" upon mentioning Ino's name, she immediately turned gloomy and nostalgic. Instead of forgetting the whole 'Sasuke-Ino' issue, she was pondering it again.

_Weird girl._ Kakashi mused and decided to knock some sense into Sakura. **Literally.**

"Ow!" Sakura yelped and rubbed the forming lump somewhere beneath her pink-tresses. She shot Kakashi a glare, the only person who could've hit her upside the head. "Did you just hit me in the head??"

Kakashi gave a noncommittal shrug.

Her jaw dropped at the absurdity of his behavior and hit his arm hard in retaliation.

* * *

The next day, Naruto visited Kakashi's apartment and questioned Sakura on what happened last night. When the medic refused to answer, he boldly went inside and brought in take-out ramen from Ichiraku. It appeared like Naruto planned this encounter perfectly well. Sakura had no other choice but to join the blond in his usual breakfast of ramen. Surprisingly, Kakashi was still sleeping on the couch despite the ruckus. 

"Sakura-_chaaannnn_…" Naruto whined while _not-so_-secretly stealing noodles from her bowl of ramen.

Sakura whacked his hand off for the nth time that day, "There's a reason why we have separate bowls, idiot! Stop stealing my noodles!"

Naruto gulped down another batch of stolen noodles and tried again, "C'mon! Sasuke won't tell me anything and neither will you! I feel so unappreciated…" He tried the puppy-dog-eyes technique but failed miserably. He looked like a constipated puppy instead.

"There's nothing much to tell." Sakura sincerely said, "We never got the chance to talk about what happened last year." She was so distracted when Sasuke hugged her that she forgot to bombard him with questions. Oh no wait, she _did_ ask him somewhere within that endless monologue. He just didn't give her a straight answer.

"You're a bunch of _idiots._" Naruto gave a disapproving shake of his head before a mysterious sort of a light bulb suddenly clicked over his head and his eyes began to narrow suspiciously, "Wait a minute! If you two failed to discuss anything about-you know, you're _issues_… then, what were you two doing back there for thirty minutes?"

Sakura looked stunned, "You were timing us??"

"Hey don't look at me, we _all_ did." Naruto failed to realize that this did not rectify anything.

Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose, "Crazy… you are all **crazy**!" She could almost picture everyone watching as the clock slowly ticked by. It was outrageous.

"We're going nowhere! Just tell me what happened! _Please_?"

"No!"

The two were startled when Kakashi suddenly got up from the couch, weary and gaunt with his hair sticking out in different directions as he went towards the bedroom. He was mumbling something about _'not getting some decent sleep in his own apartment'_ and _'stupid couch'_.

Both his ex-students panicked. It was their fault Kakashi was pissed anyway.

"We got you some ramen!" Both offered in unison and surprisingly, Kakashi immediately swerved towards the dining table. He sat next to Sakura and grabbed the now-cold bowl of noodles. It was actually Naruto's spare but he'd rather starve than experience Kakashi's foul mood.

When he was about to pull down his mask, he could not help but to notice that he was being watched. Truth be told, the two were watching his every move keenly like vultures watching their dying prey.

Naruto stared agape as well as Sakura. This might've been her third day in his apartment and probably her fifth meal with Kakashi, but she never got the chance to actually see him eat like normal people do—_without_ a mask! He usually ate his meal in the living room while she stayed in the kitchen. Sakura actually restrained herself from taking a peek since she regarded it as disrespectful behavior. But now that he's actually sitting at the table with them, she assumed it would be alright for them to see the face behind the mask.

"Ah—err, I haven't brushed my teeth." Like a bolt of lightning, he stood up and sought refuge inside the bathroom.

The two sweat-dropped.

"Gah—THAT'S UNFAIR!!!"

"KAKASHI!"

* * *

"He's so annoying…" Sakura shut the door and locked it before trotting back towards the couch. She sank down on the plushy mattress and sighed in deep relief. It was almost three in the afternoon before Naruto finally gave up on pressing her for the details and went home. Actually, there was an urgent call from the fifth that made him leave—albeit reluctantly. "Why can't he understand that I'm not ready to talk about it?" she softly asked to herself. Kakashi was reading again, flipping another page as he made a deep grunt to prove that he was listening. "I mean, how am I supposed to tell him anything if _nothing_ really happened last night?" 

Come to think of it, Sakura never told Kakashi anything either. "What _did_ happen anyway?" he asked while flipping another page with his thumb.

"Nothing." She automatically replied.

"So… you just stood there and stared at each other until one of you rots?" He didn't have to turn his head to notice that Sakura scrunched her face.

"_No…_"

"Then what happened?"

She didn't tell anything to Naruto so Kakashi should experience the same treatment. But why does she feel like she owed it to him?

"We… talked." Sakura stalled.

"_And_?" Kakashi inquired with patience without taking his eyes away from Icha Icha: Make out Tactics.

"I nagged…"

"_Then_?"

"He hugged me." It was so abrupt, Kakashi almost missed it.

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow, "_Okay_…"

3… 2… 1

"Can you believe that guy?? He slept with my best friend and then he holds me as if NOTHING happened! We talked-yes-but he never said 'I'm sorry'—not once! And then he insinuates that it was my fault! I mean, how is that even possible?? I'm not the one who made an abrupt marriage proposal! I'm not the one who slept with other people! How come it's _my_ fault??" She paused to take in a deep breath and then went on ranting. It seemed she had wanted to say this for years.

Sakura finally gained Kakashi's undivided attention. "He's blaming you?" That made him wonder why.

Finally, she caved in and gave him a detailed explanation of what happened last night. She felt slightly guilty of not sharing this with Naruto but that immediately slipped her mind as renewed anger rose within her.

"Sasuke's an ass." Sakura said to Kakashi, "And now I'm too disgusted to enter a new relationship. He ruined everything. Ino's an ass, too. Perhaps it was she who ruined everything."

Kakashi furrowed his brow, "I think," He said, "that you are the common denominator in those two equations."

She shot a sharp look at him and said, "What do you mean?" Her tone sounded particularly nasty.

He regarded her for a moment, and she couldn't read his gaze. "Maybe you've been looking at it upside down." Those last words hung between them in silence.

Kakashi excused himself and went to the kitchen to grab some water. Sakura was left sitting on the couch, trying to digest the fact that even Kakashi _blamed_ **her**.

She just wished that she didn't feel so disappointed.

**TBC**

* * *

AN: Thank you **_tootalltygerlily_** for the beta-ed. So, what do you guys think? Good? Bad? C'mon, you know how this works! Leave a review please! 

**-----I** personally love this story. As you can see, I totally abandoned my other fanfics (fics that are in need of updating) because I'm so hooked, I couldn't stop writing! I was planning on writing five or six more chapters, but I guess I have to make it short because I still got a couple of fanfics (I think its more than that...) to finish and the people who are reading these said stories are losing their patience. I don't want to disappoint my readers so I have to compensate with their demands. It's been quite hectic since school started again this June. I'm in my 4th year now so I guess I'm up for the hardest part in being a college student... thesis presentation. Anyways, I'll try my best to balance my time so I wouldn't have to abandon my acount. That would be awful.

**Thank you for the reviews:**

NejiHyuga'sangel1234

Hasamaki

M.J.

cherryblossomsky

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kinawa nee-chan

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**-----I** know the last chapter was quite confusing but I'll definitely explain it in the upcoming chapters so don't worry.


	7. I don't love you

-x-

**Seven**

-x-

It has been six days since she was assigned to look after Hatake Kakashi. And now she's accompanying him to the hospital for his annual check-up. It's been four days since her talk with Sasuke and Kakashi. Both men made an impact with their words, and Sakura wanted nothing more but to deal with her own demons, alone. She refused to talk to anyone… even Kakashi. Kakashi welcomed her silence unpretentiously. He thought it was for the best, albeit the fact that the only chance they got to _actually_ talk was when either of them needs something from the other. Sakura still provided patient care… Kakashi acted like the perfect patient.

Kakashi healed fast and according to the tests he went through, he's now perfectly fine. So what's left for Sakura's D-rank mission? Nada. She consulted Tsunade about this and she half expected that the mission would be over. Unfortunately, Tsunade gave her another task to prolong her stay in Kakashi's apartment.

-

-

"_You have to keep him away from trouble."_

"_Shishou… Kakashi—"_ S_he thought it over and realized there's no need for Tsunade to know they were on a first name basis with each other, "—sensei is physically and mentally stronger than I am. If he wants to do something, I can't really stop him."_

_Tsunade shook her head, "Kakashi's not dense. He knows what's good for him and he will not do such a thing. What I need you to do is to encourage him through the whole process. Kakashi's a _workaholic_, so to speak. He doesn't like being stagnant… if you have noticed, Kakashi's will of protecting Konoha's is strong; he'll be willing to accept missions one after another. He's a top dog in this game, Sakura. And I don't want to wear him out. Konoha __**needs**__ him."_

_-_

_-_

Tsunade once again promised her that it wouldn't take forever before Kakashi's allowed to take missions again. She even modified her instructions by allowing Sakura to work under Misato's internship again. Basically, she's just sharing Kakashi's apartment for a while and had her working hours reduced to five hours. Sakura accepted it immediately when Tsunade insinuated that someone would take over—and purposely suggested Yamanaka Ino.

"Haruno-san!" Ruriko approached Sakura who was sitting patiently in the waiting area.

Sakura lifted her head and smiled at her fellow intern, "Hi, Ruriko-chan." Hanazawa Ruriko was a year younger than her and they both entered the program last year. She's a tall, slender wavy-haired brunette with round blue eyes. Her skin was slightly tanned after serving a mission in Sand. Apart from Sakura, Ruriko also had the thirst for knowledge and would take every opportunity available to learn more. She suddenly had a taste for Neurosurgery and followed her resident, Yoshino-sensei like a chick to a mother hen. She said the grey matter interests her and she wanted to explore its astounding mechanism. Sakura however was unsure of what field she wanted to take. Her resident, Misato-sensei was a cardiologist and mostly exposed her to cardiac surgeries… but she wasn't even sure if she wanted to specialize in that for the rest of her medic life.

"Are you working again?" Ruriko interrupted her thoughts, her smile never leaving her face. She was just so—**friendly**. And for someone so bitter at the moment, Sakura found this quite irritating.

"Err-no… I'm with Kakashi. He's having his check-up with Yoshino-sensei."

"Oh… how is he?"

"He's fine." Blunt and straight to the point, "I've never seen a person recover that fast…" she added as an afterthought.

"I see… that's good…" Then the girl suddenly started fidgeting, "Umm… listen, I have a favor to ask… if you don't mind?"

Sakura was surprised to see Ruriko's face redden in an unexplained embarrassment. "What favor?"

The brunette pulled out a note out from her breast-pocket of her lab gown and gave it to Sakura, "Here," Her blue eyes looked hopeful as Sakura lifted an eyebrow at the offered paper.

"What is it?"

"C-can you give it him? We had a great time that night at Sasuke's homecoming party and I thought it'd be nice if we got together again sometime…" Ruriko was nervous. She was stammering… and blushing like crazy.

Sakura felt something nasty coming from the depths of her stomach. _She was there?_ How come she never noticed? Oh, yes. She was preoccupied with the whole Sasuke-Ino thing. But still…

"H-he was such a nice person. He bought me a drink and…" She started telling her what had happened that night but Sakura wasn't listening. She was too busy thinking that while Kakashi was having a great time, she was back in the apartment, sulking. And she actually went back to get him when he'd rather stay there and have a nice _chitchat_ with Ruriko, the babbling intern! Little miss sunshine herself! Oddly, she was boiling with anger. It wasn't fair…

Too caught up with her thoughts, she failed to notice the hand waving in front of her face. "Haruno-san? Haruno-san!"

"Oh—um, sorry…" She took the note grudgingly and forced out a smile, "Okay. I'll make sure he gets it."

Ruriko jumped to the balls of her feet and hugged Sakura, completely surprising her. "Oh thank you! Thank you! I will never forget this!" She flashed the sweetest smile she'd ever seen in her entire life. Sakura wanted to gag.

And after that she excused herself and went off to her 11am surgery. Sakura was left in the waiting room, _waiting_.

A few minutes later, Kakashi finally came out of Yoshino's office. Sakura approached him and the two began walking down the hallway.

"What did she say?" She curiously inquired.

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders, "She said I still need to rest for a couple of days and then I can do whatever I want." He was tired of staying cooped up inside his apartment doing nothing but eat, sleep, read Icha Icha, watch TV, pester Sakura then sleep again. He felt like a bum doing all that stuff and he's been dying to go out and have a proper training session. Of course, Sakura would highly disapprove on this.

"I see…" Then she remembered the crumpled paper inside her fist. She was trying to decide whether to give Ruriko's number to Kakashi or not. She chose the latter and threw the note into the nearest trash bin. Sakura knew what she did was wrong and she could almost see the sunny smile Ruriko flashed her when she agreed to give the note to Kakashi. Guilt started to gnaw her, hard.

_Oh well, too late. I'm not digging through that trash bin just because I feel guilty. No way!_ But she could feel her feet suddenly heavy. Her steps slowed and Kakashi immediately noticed this.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Um… nothing." She pulled a tight smile and diverted to the previous topic, "Congratulations, Kakashi. I assume you heal fast… it won't take long before you can do sit-ups again."

Kakashi knew something was bothering his little medic. Ever since that conversation they had, he knew he kind of offended her, albeit unintentionally. Can you blame him? He was just telling the truth. And the truth always hurt. That's a fact.

This silent treatment however was not working for him. Haruno Sakura was an entity of energy. Whether she talks about her great hate toward Yoshino or just from simply hitting his arm, the girl spouted pure, unadulterated energy. And believe it or not, he missed it.

"When that time comes, you'll spar with me, won't you?" His sudden invitation effectively brought Sakura out of her endless reverie. Not to mention the slight trace of hope in his voice when he asked.

Sakura was nonplussed at first and then a knowing smile resurfaced, "I'd love to."

* * *

Sasuke glared hard at the innocent windowpane next to him. Ino was sitting across from him, looking worried. Her eyes drifted anywhere except Sasuke. She couldn't look at him. She just couldn't… not after seeing that distant look on his face when he saw her. 

Contrary to popular belief, she and Sasuke were no more than friends with benefits. After that incident in his apartment a year ago, people started thinking that she and Sasuke had a thing going on. Okay, so maybe there was a relationship… but there's no love. Ino and Sasuke are not in love with each other. Only trying to fool themselves by sleeping together.

One thing's for sure though… Sasuke still loves Sakura. And the sad part is... they can't be together.

"I haven't seen you in awhile." Ino finally shattered the silence barrier between them, occasionally throwing Sasuke a worried look, "I haven't got the chance to ask you what happened that night—"

Sasuke grunted, "I don't want to talk about it."

Ino only sighed and started ordering when the waitress approached them. It's always been like this between the two of them. Except for the intimacy only lovers are allowed to share, Ino and Sasuke are not friends, not even close to that. They never share things with each other. Ino felt terrible and missed Sakura on occasions like this. The teasing, gossiping, and boy hunting… she sacrificed everything just because of one, stupid mistake. If she could only turn back time, she would gladly erase that part of her life where she was foolish and offered pity sex to her best friend's boyfriend.

"You know _I don't love_ you, right?" Sasuke sharply asked her as if it was no sensitive topic they were discussing.

Ino tried to swallow everything, her food, her pride, and her sadness. She would have gone with other guys who loved her… who treasured her… but instead she's stuck with this callous fool. "I do. But Sakura doesn't." After throwing him a meaningful look, the waitress came back with their meal.

Sasuke didn't feel like eating anymore. He tried to keep eating his chicken tonkatsu, but his mouth had become so dry he could not chew. "How did you know?" Sasuke asked, referring to her last comment.

Ino carelessly shrugged her shoulders, "_If you did_, I wouldn't be sitting here, eating lunch with you. _If you did_, Sakura and I would be sharing gossip by now…" As these words gushed out of her, a mad rush of emotions came with it. Her chewing deliberately slowed as a look of lose manifested on her face. She looked straight into Sasuke's eyes and finally said, "_If you did_, Sakura would be my friend again…"

And with that said, silence ensued and the two tried to finish their meal awkwardly.

* * *

It was sweltering hot in Konoha where the temperature spiked from 28 degrees to 32 degrees. Everything felt like it was dried under the sun for a few hours. Sakura lounged on the couch, too lazy to get up and do something other than lying like a puddle of goo. Moving alone was an exhausting task and she would gladly just lie there and wait until sundown. She looked around and felt like everything was in slow motion. As much as she yearned for a nice, cold shower right now, Kakashi beat her to it. Now she was stuck in the living room, not doing any in particular except acting like a bum and getting water from the fridge. That's when her eyes caught the sight of Kakashi's stacks of Icha Icha. Everything was organized by color and by volume. Sakura began to wonder what was so interesting with such perverted novels. She knew it was written by Jiraiya-sama and knowing him, his book probably contains perversion, obscenities and secretly watching girls bathing in some onsen. 

_It's probably just drabbles and nonsense._ She thoughtfully nodded at her own conclusion. But why does she find herself curious on what really fascinated its readers, especially Kakashi about these books? With great effort, she stood up and made her way towards the bookshelf. _I only took five steps and I'm sweating like a pig!_ She irritably wiped her forehead and the side of her neck. She was only wearing a dark blue razorback and a pair of white shorts.

She stared at Kakashi's amazing collection and wondered if it's okay for her to touch it. Realizing that Kakashi's still in the bathroom and she's all alone in the living room, she carefully took one and started flipping, seeing a comic strip like interior. Her eyes widened when she caught one particular image and it made her want to faint. She abruptly closed the book and looked cautiously around her, expecting Kakashi to pop out of nowhere. The sound of water coming from the bathroom reassured her and she resumed her investigation. She nervously opened the book again and went to read chapter one.

Her breath caught, her eyes began to widen in shock and the hand holding the book faltered. She never thought it was _**that graphic**_. Everything was detailed from the dialogues to the blatant drawings. Her mouth felt dry. She wanted to stop, honestly… she really just wanted to close the book and return it on the shelf. But she couldn't. As shameful as it was, she couldn't stop reading. And as she flipped from one page to another, she realized the plot was good and not trashy. _Porn with plot!_ She thought wildly as if it was the most impossible thing to occur.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

Sakura jumped when Kakashi's head appeared surprisingly over her shoulder, looking straight at page 5 of chapter one. "Kakashi!" Sakura squeaked. She snapped her mouth shut when she saw an evil glint appear in his mismatched eyes. "Ehem—I mean—" Still ashen-faced but looking very angry, she yelled, "Stop staring like that!"

Kakashi seemed not to pay attention to her and stared at his Icha Icha paradise, which was still in Sakura's hand. "I can't even begin to list the ways in which this is weird…" he said without any preamble.

"I… I was just, um… I." Shit, she was so screwed. She quickly resorted to yelling something nonsense, "**Pervert**!" She accused and dropped the book immediately, which Kakashi expertly caught. She turned and moved away until her back touched the bookshelf behind.

"Now… now… Sakura," Kakashi admonished, "What did I tell you about playing with these things? If you borrow them, you should put them back nicely on the shelf after your done." He took the few steps remaining separating him and Sakura. That's when Sakura noticed that he was again, naked—well, with nothing on but a white, fluffy towel. She swallowed, her breath hitching as Kakashi reached around her and returned the book back to its place. She could smell the clean, fresh-out-of-the-shower scent that lingered in the air as a manifestation of their close proximity.

_Calm down. Just calm down and don't let him manipulate you—just… breathe!_ Taking a deep breath, she finally managed to look him straight into his eyes, "I… I'm sorry. I was just curious." she said clearly, not a trace of shyness in her voice.

Kakashi smiled with a great amount of pride. Sakura knew well how to play with her emotions. He could tell she was embarrassed, shocked and nervous, but she handled the situation very quickly. She was notably, a shinobi. "I assume you find it quite interesting?" If she was so disgusted by it, why did she read up to chapter 5?

Sakura blushed but frowned at the accusation, "I think it's vulgar. You're a_ pervert_ for reading it."

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow, "Then what does that make you?"

She looked stricken, her mouth opening and closing like a fish deprived of its water environment, "I was curious! And shocked!" She looked like she would burst into flames. "Oh, be quiet!" She pushed him away and started walking back to the couch. She drew her knees up, hugging them while staring warily at him, "I can't believe I'm living with such—such a pervert! A super-duper-pervert, that's what you are!" For the faintest, briefest of moments, Sakura hated him fiercely.

Kakashi gave an exhausted sigh and turned to look at her, "Look, if I was a _pervert_ as you put it, I would have jumped you by now, wouldn't I?"

Sakura mock-gasped, her hand immediately flying over her heart in an act of panic, "You wouldn't."

Kakashi chuckled dryly, "No." When he went towards the bedroom to dress, Sakura was left on the couch, thinking. When he came back in his grey sweatpants and blue shirt, there was a frown on her face.

"You will not jump me." She absently repeated.

"No, Sakura. **I will not**." He stated firmly as he took the empty spot next to her and turned on the TV. He flipped channels for a couple of minutes before he noticed Sakura's silence. A myriad of emotions played across her face and he found himself smiling again and at the same time curious on what exactly she was thinking.

Kakashi frowned, "You're scaring me," he said. _And here I thought the silent treatment was crazy..._

"So you're saying… you would jump **Ruriko** and not _me_?" she suddenly asked, an accusing glare thrown at him. Now where did that come from?

Kakashi's frown deepened ten-fold and began to wonder how their conversation turned out like this. "Who's Ruriko?" was the first question he just had to ask.

"Never mind." She shook her head in utter disapproval and just concentrated on whatever was on the TV.

Kakashi rubbed his temples and mimicked her position. They sat there in silence for nearly thirty minutes; uninterestedly watching a lame TV show until an incessant knock was heard coming from the front door. Sakura begrudgingly answered the door so she could get out of the tension she and Kakashi once again created.

When she opened the door, what she saw beyond blew the medic away.

Ino blinked twice and raised a hand in greeting, "Hi." The look on Sakura's face made her turn her gaze away. She knew it was too soon to approach her. But with things going on between Sasuke and her, she thought Sakura ought to know what's been going on inside her ex-boyfriend's head.

Sakura didn't know what to do. Her hand itched to slam the door in her face and pretend she never existed. But that was rude, so she stood stiffly and asked un-amused, "Hi…" She closed the door behind her after noticing that Kakashi was looking their way. They stood in the hallway, both very quiet and fidgety.

"We need to talk…"

"Now?" Sakura felt like she was having a panic attack.

"Yeah, if you don't mind." Ino stupidly berated herself that indeed, Sakura _**does **_mind "I know a really good place down the block. Their chocolate tarts are good… you should try it."

Sakura nodded glumly, knowing that she really had no choice. She didn't want to be rude so she agreed and went inside the apartment to get changed. Ino still knew it was awkward to invite herself in especially inside Kakashi's apartment so she willingly waited outside.

Sakura changed into a loose pink shirt and white shorts. She slipped on her slippers and was about to go outside when Kakashi's voice suddenly stopped her.

"Sakura," he called, not turning away from the TV.

She looked over her shoulder and asked, "Yeah?"

"You forgot your bra." He lifted his hand and there dangling on his pinkie was a lacy brassier.

Sakura 'eeped' and copped a feel of her chest and immediately remembered that she changed into her training bra. How Kakashi got her lacy one was a mystery and she did not bother asking him because getting a straight answer from Kakashi was like finding a needle in a haystack. Instead, she grabbed the nearest thing to her, which was Kakashi's slippers and threw it at him. "Pervert!" she growled irritably when he once again, proficiently turned his head to avoid the offending object. With a huff and a face as red as a tomato, she stormed out of the apartment, hearing Kakashi faintly chuckling inside.

**TBC**

* * *

**AN: **I _enjoyed_ writing this chapter especially the scene where Kakashi discovered Sakura sneaking a peek on his most precious **ecchi** novels. Now, about this Ruriko girl, nope we'll not be seeing much of her in the future chapters. She's only a side-character, not a major third part in the KakaSaku pair. Anyway, I would like to thank you guys for the wonderful reviews! My heart swelled after reading each of them. I'm glad that you guys liked it and I will do my best to make this story much, much better. I had so much fun writing each chapter so I guess that's the reason why it came out so good (I'm not trying to be vain here). As you can see, Sasuke's secret was still uncovered in this chapter. But no worries, I'll explain everything after a chapter or two is done. Hm, what else? Oh, did I mention I really, really, really _looovvvee_ this story so much that I totally lost interest in updating my other fanfics? It's sad that I lost my mojo (aka: plot bunny) in my other stories, especially **FRAGMENTED**, sequel to my other KakaSaku fic, **PATH OF THORNS**. I would really love to continue the sequel and end it as promised as soon as I'm done with this one (runs away from angry mob of readers). Believe me; I know exactly how I want Path of Thorns to end… I just don't know how to write it. 

**♥****Reviews****♥**

(Chapter 6 **ONLY**)

**asuka02redeva» **Thanks for the review!

**cherryblossomsky****»** Thank you! Of course, I'll keep it coming. As long as I'm on the right track, updating won't be a problem!

**thenewmastercreater»** OMG, you just made me squeal like a banshee! Knowing that someone considered this as one of the best and perhaps the BEST KakaSaku story made my heart soar! Thank you! Thank you so much! I'm sorry if you're pissed and that I made you cry with the cliff hanger. Just so you know, I'm the **_queen_** of cliff-hangers. I make sure every chapter in my fan fics has one (or more **ü**) so I hope you get used to it. I'm not doing it on purpose, mind you. It's just how I see one particular chapter ends. Admit it, it adds to the spice, right?

**akari» **I'm glad you liked it.

**midniteanjo»** I hope you love this chapter too. Thanks for the review!

**NotIntoIt3456» **Thank you for thinking this story is awesome! Hope you liked this chapter.

**GSandM»** Yeah, I know. It's starting to make sense too. **ü **

**Mokana-chan» **Hm, well my summer vacation's over and school just started last week. It sucks 'cause I know I have to limit my time with net surfing and updating my fan fics… Well, I'm glad that my story brought the KakaSaku fangirl out of you again and thank you!

**Squishy Penguin» **Thank you very much!

**mamai black»** She can be pretty stubborn… and childish. I'm nineteen years old and I think I'm kind of childish too but not most of the time! I think she's letting her anger get the best of her, don't you think? Don't worry, it'll get to a point where Sakura would mature in her own way. And about the romance part, I'm still working on that so you have to be very, very patient. **ü**

**JenKonoha»** Oh yeah, I'm not making that (KakaSaku) clearer, am I? hehe… The problem with me is that I'm not very good when it comes to writing mushy stuff… you know, things that makes you swoon? I'm not even sure why I'm writing in the romance genre… But no worries, I'm trying my best. Have faith in me! **ü**

**ItaSaku29****»** OMG, I'm so sorry! It's not that I forgot to thank you on the last chapter. It's just that I only included the names who reviewed chapter 6. I checked it again and found no sign of your name there so, please don't be upset with me. And because of this pointed mistake, from now on, I will put a big THANK YOU at the bottom for those who reviewed from other chapters. Again, I apologize and don't cry! **ü**

**FakeCompassion» **Good point, good point… we're talking about Sasuke being a JERK, right?

**Cnguyen456» **Thanks!

**SatuAka» **I'm happy that someone realized that the fan fic was supposed to be funny too. People kept saying that there's still no romance thing going on… but haven't I left a few subtle hints to justify this? Like for example, when Kakashi kind of lost to mood to pester Sakura after learning that he asked her out on a date. It's so subtle that you didn't notice the slight jealousy Kakashi had for Neji, a sign that he's starting to get attracted to Sakura. And not to mention that he kept thinking of her as a strong, free-spirited, beautiful WOMAN. That is definitely saying something, don't you think? Okay, I'm ranting here… hehe…. Should've placed that on my author's notes instead. Thank you SatuAka for giving an opening to explain this romance thing. Kudos to you! **ü**

**Lady Jaye1****» **Yes, definitely, I will explain everything. Thank your for the review!

**KV Chaos» **Thanks! Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Don't hesitate to leave more, 'aight?

**SavageGardenFan» **Your name is interesting… What do you mean by _Can you how more of what Kakashi feels about things?_ Um okay, I'll try to write more on Kakashi's POV if you like. Thanks for the review!

**princessswan»** Finally! Someone noticed the not so noticeable fluff in chapter 6! Thank you!

**kakashilove123» **Thank you!

**Rhonda21»** You'll find out soon. Thanks for the review!

**Byakugan Fighter»** Again, another curious reader. In the later chapters, you'll see why Sasuke blamed her. So, stay patient. **ü**

**CrisscrossAnime» **Thanks!

**S. T. Nickolian»** Thank you!

**loverofallthingschocolate»** Haha! I can see him trying to hide away or something. Well, better than suffer Sakura's wrath, ne?

**eskeflowne»** You'll find out soon. Thanks!

**Rangerette»** Thanks!

**Hasamaki» **I'm glad you felt that way. I'm trying my best to make my reviewers definitely appreciated. You're the reason why I'm updating, after all. Thank you!

I hope I greeted everyone. Gah! You'll all receive my ♥**Love and Kisses**♥ for once again making my heart soar and feeding my soul with your wonderful compliments! Kudos to you guys! I'll be waiting for you reviews on this one.


	8. Think before you speak

-x-

**Eight**

-x-

"Um, hey." Sakura broke the uncomfortable silence between them as they walked awkwardly down the pavement. "I don't know about you but I don't feel like eating." This felt really odd talking to Ino like this. It's as if she missed this old habit and at the same time disgusted at the fact that she's _talking_ to the girl who had an affair with her ex-boyfriend. The situation was killing her and she would most likely want to end this talk quickly.

Ino gave an understanding nod, still not looking her straight in the eyes. It seemed Sakura's not the only one who wants this done as soon as possible. "Okay. Where do you wanna go?"

Sakura shrugged and fanned her face with her hand, "I don't know… we can go to that _place_, if you like?" She was hardly polite to Ino when they were friends… so why now?

Even Ino was put-off with her behavior. This is not what she's expecting. Actually, she anticipated a yell or cussing the moment she appeared on that doorstep. It was a real surprise when Sakura accepted her invitation and handled the situation very well. Sakura indeed grew up and matured over the past year.

"Sure."

It was a fifteen minute walk and the two were finally separated from the busy streets of Konoha and gossip-mongers. The _place_ was no other than the meadow near the school she and Ino started as genins. Sakura leaned against the sturdy tree that had been planted there since they were children. Ino smiled softly at the spot where she and Sakura used to play and talked about how wonderful 'Sasuke-kun' was. But the images of their youthful days together quickly vanished and were replaced by that incident where Sakura caught Ino in Sasuke's bed.

Ino cleared her throat nervously, "I… first of all I want to apologize."

Sakura's mouth lifted in a nasty snarl, "It's a little too late to accept apology don't you think?"

"Well if you had given me the chance to talk to you I would've apologized earlier." Ino told her off but then felt bad after seeing the shocked look on Sakura's face. She was the one at fault here and had no right to demand anything. "Shit. I shouldn't have said that." She shook her head, blond hair bouncing lightly. "I'm sorry." She sincerely said, her eyes locking with Sakura's.

Sakura swallowed thickly and looked away. She just… couldn't handle it. She was angry… at least she thought the terrible feeling building in the pit of her stomach was out of anger and depression. "I'm giving you a chance to tell me your side of the story. This is your only chance, Ino." Her name rolled bitterly inside her mouth. She looked at the blonde and expected her to talk quick. The moment she stepped out of Kakashi's apartment, Sakura promised herself that she will neither ask questions nor will she try to demand answers from her. She wanted a true, simple, explanation. She was too tired to ponder things over.

Ino looked at Sakura who was now crossing her arms. "That night at the party… you and Sasuke had a talk, didn't you?" Since Sasuke's not telling her anything, she hoped Sakura would quench her curiosity.

Sakura's brows meshed together as a warning move, "Do you have a problem with that? I assure you, I'm not stealing your boyfriend." That last bit of her comment made Ino flinch involuntarily and emotional pain radiated immediately. Sakura pretended she didn't notice. If there's anything she should feel right now, it's definitely NOT guilt.

"That's not what I meant." Ino said between gritted teeth. Sakura was smart, but she's also stubbornly stupid. "Did you talk about… you know, what happened last year?"

Sakura looked away, a distant look on her face, "No. Actually we haven't _really_ talked about it. He just…" she paused and gave Ino a fleeting look, "He kind of insinuates it's _my_ fault why he cheated." She then fully faced the blond and said, "That's what I would like to know. I trust that you know something about this?"

Ino shook her head and muttered darkly, "You useless man…" she bristled and then asked Sakura, "Is that all he said?"

The medic nodded, "He also said it was not about the proposal."

The blond was silent for good two seconds before replying, "I don't have the right to tell you this but—I think you should know that Sasuke and I are _not_ together." She finished quickly and then avoiding Sakura's gaze again.

Sakura's eyes flew wide, "What?" was Ino trying to provoke her? Cause she could just strangle her to death for telling such a lie!

"Wait, let me rephrase that—" Ino backtracked, "We're together… but we're _not_ in a relationship." That still sounded lame and confusing. She could clearly see Sakura was about to blow a fuse.

Sakura felt a headache coming. "You're confusing…" She vainly tried to clear her head by shaking it, "No matter what you say, the point is you're _still_ together. And I don't see how this will remedy anything!"

"Sasuke doesn't love me, you idiot!" Ino finally snapped, a vein popping on her forehead. The familiar bickering between friends felt quite nostalgic. "YES we sleep together but we're NOT in love!" She doesn't know what else to say to her if Sakura still doesn't get that.

_Sleep not slept._

Sakura looked taken aback. All this time she assumed Sasuke and Ino developed an official love affair. And now Ino's telling her that all her assumptions for the past year were not true. She couldn't speak, not even close her agape mouth. It was all a shock to her.

First Sasuke said it was not about the proposal and now Ino said that they're not in a relationship. _Then… then why did you leave me? Why—why did you propose so suddenly? Why did you slept with my best friend??_ She hoped it was Sasuke who was here and not Ino. There are a lot of things she wanted that only Sasuke could answer.

Ino wanted to comfort her but she knew Sakura would cut her hand off before she even reached her shoulder. So she kept her space and patiently waited with bated breath until Sakura was stable again.

"I don't know what to say." She truthfully said, still recovering from shock. It was not easy to digest this new information after feeling utterly depressed for the past year over some trivial betrayal.

Ino closed her eyes, "That night when you saw me and Sasuke together. That was unexpected… I swear, Sakura. He was brooding over your fight… I was there to comfort him because I'm his _friend._ I feel nothing for Sasuke anymore but friendship… you know that, right?" she inquired hopefully. Unfortunately, Sakura didn't say anything and leaned back against the tree for support because she could barely handle her weakened legs.

"_Sometimes love is not enough…"_

What did Sasuke mean by that? How come her love for him was not enough? She sacrificed almost everything for him. She adored him since they were children. She begged him to stay when he wanted to follow Orochimaru. She even went with Naruto and Kakashi to save him. She was devoted to him. What more does he want??

"Perhaps… perhaps I was looking at everything upside down…" she whispered more to herself but was loud enough for Ino to catch a few words.

The blond was about to tell her more but decided that Sakura had enough for one day. She was leaving the rest up to Sasuke.

"I'm sorry Sa—" she was interrupted when Sakura landed a slap on her face. Sakura's palm met Ino's cheek with a loud snap making the blond almost tumble over the hill. She regained her footing quickly and touched the tender flesh where Sakura hit her. She knew she deserved that… but damn it, it hurts!

Sakura couldn't stop herself from yelling obscenities. "You, vile, filthy liar!" she accused harshly, "You _still_ have feelings for him, admit it! You still love him!"

"I do not!" Ino could feel her own temper rising.

"I don't believe you!" Sakura's voice was filled with malice, "Sasuke needed comfort and you willingly gave it to him! You could've declined if you had some sense in your head! You slept with him! And you've done it several times… How could you, you hypocrite!" She looked completely betrayed as she willed herself not to shed even a single tear.

Ino had had enough, "That doesn't mean _I'm in love_ with him." She yelled yet she sounded unsure herself. "I mean… I—"

Sakura glared, her eyes narrowing in hatred, "You were jealous because Sasuke chose me!" She pointed at herself, "So you took advantage of the situation and slept with him, you slut!"

"I don't appreciate you calling me a slut!" Ino snarled and attacked Sakura. The two went down to the ground, tugging hairs and slapping like crazy while the strange black bird flew by squawking 'Girl Fight' over and over again.(**AN:** Remember that crow flying in ep. 101 squawking 'idiot'? That's what I'm talking about.)

* * *

Kakashi had to do a double take when Sakura entered the apartment. Her hair was sticking every which way and there were nasty bruises on her left eye and arms. Her blouse was askew and there was dirt and grass all over her white shorts as she walked inside barefooted. He wanted to ask what the hell happened but backed off immediately when he felt an awful aura emanating from her.

Sakura was beyond sane right now. The fight with Ino was intense and if it weren't for Kiba and Shino who innocently passed by, no one would've stopped the two. It was embarrassing, but both couldn't care less if the whole town were staring at them.

Kakashi watched the distraught medic pass by him, straight to the bedroom and locking the door behind her. He assumed it would be some time before she'd share anything with him. Scratching his cheek, he went to the kitchen and started dinner.

* * *

Later that evening, Sakura finally came out of the bedroom when Kakashi returned from his briefing with the Fifth. She moved like a statue, every step measured, her face sporting a grim expression as she went into the kitchen without even looking at him. Kakashi returned her cold treatment and proceeded inside.

Tsunade informed Kakashi that he would be allowed to take up missions again no later than a week from now. When he asked what was left for Sakura's mission since he's perfectly healthy now, the Fifth explained that it was up to him on how long he'd keep her.

And it kept him thinking. How long does he want Sakura here, in his apartment? How long does he want the medic's company anyway? He knew his time was limited with her and in such a short time, he managed to form an odd relationship with the pink-haired girl. In fact, he had gotten the chance to _really_ know who Haruno Sakura was. He then realized that the girl barely knew him since he rarely shared anything with her. It was she who was doing the talking, and he was always there to listen. Whether it had something to do with Naruto's clumsiness to Sasuke's betrayal, Sakura would always talk like they're more than acquaintances. He had gotten to see this side of her, the hurting, lonely, cynical side of Sakura. He always thought of her as Sasuke's fan girl and Tsunade's mighty apprentice. But now… now he sees a nineteen year old woman who's undergoing the common trials of youthful life.

It didn't occur to him that he was staring at her from the living room throughout his musings. Sakura felt his eyes on her and when she turned to see the source of her discomfort, she caught him. A strange frown spread across her face and her mouth curling into a pout. In these moments, Kakashi would always think that Sakura looked cute when she was upset.

"Where'd you go?" she asked while holding a bowl of preheated chicken curry and rice. When she came out to take a bath since, she obviously noticed she reeked, she found no sign of Kakashi around.

Kakashi shrugged off his jacket and threw it on the couch, "Briefing." He simply told her.

Sakura cocked her head to the side. Even that looked adorable to him. "With the Fifth?"

Kakashi's answered with a nod. "She said I can sign-up for missions again… no later than this week."

"Oh," Sakura looked away and then went to sit on the aged couch. She turned on the TV and started eating awkwardly since she could still feel Kakashi's eyes on her.

Kakashi counted to five before taking the spot next to her. Somehow, this routine felt so natural. He never thought he'd get used to living with someone when he lived alone for almost his entire life.

"I guess I'll have to call mom… she'll be thrilled to hear I'm coming home." Sakura mumbled with her eyes firmly glued on the screen.

Kakashi absently nodded, "Yeah. Are they home now?" He remembered the call Sakura received a few days ago. It was her mother telling her that she and Sakura's father were vacationing somewhere in the country of Tea.

"Nope." Sakura shook her head, "They're meeting with my grandparents—father side. They're staying in Tea for a month."

"Hn." Kakashi's eyes were now glued as well on the lame TV show they can't get enough of because there's no other channel to choose from.

"Want some?" Sakura offered her bowl. Kakashi gave her an odd stare saying 'Are you out of your mind?' and shook his head. Sakura then remembered about his ridiculous mask and glared at it with distaste. "I can't understand why you're still keeping your face from me, Kakashi. You don't really trust me, do you?" she asked thoughtfully before chucking rice down her throat.

Kakashi sighed tiredly and laid his head back on the couch, "It's not that I don't trust you. I just don't want you to see."

Sakura placed her bowl down on the floor after eating half of its contents. She glanced at Kakashi and curiously asked, "Why?" The solemnity of Kakashi's voice made her wonder.

"'Cause."

Sakura frowned, "That's not a valid reason."

"Hm,"

"C'mon, Kakashi! I wanna see!"

"No."

"Please? I swear, I won't tell Naruto!" She raised her right hand as a sign of pledge.

"No."

Sakura's frown turned to a scowl, "That's unfair!" She felt a little irritated at Kakashi's offhanded shrugs. "I told you a lot of things… but you never tell me anything in return. I _really _think I deserve to see the face behind the mask."

"I never asked you to tell me anything in the first place." He regretted it the moment it slipped from his mouth. But he knew it was too late to take it back. Not when seeing the shock on her face spread in a mere two seconds.

Sakura was stunned, but a little ashamed at the same time. She suddenly realized how things went between them for the past few days. She talked about _her_ life and Kakashi didn't even ask in the first place! She felt the blood drain out of her face, her throat suddenly parched and she felt slightly nauseous. Barfing wouldn't be an option, not after embarrassing herself in front of him countless times! _Oh my God… What am I doing?_ Not even Naruto heard half of what she told Kakashi even if she considered him as her closest friend. And here, Hatake Kakashi, her former sensei, a not-so closer friend actually heard her point of view over her situation with Sasuke. Something that she'd been direly trying not to discuss with her friends… Not even her mom!

Kakashi wanted to mentally kick himself. It came out differently… a far cry from what he actually meant. _This is the reason why you don't socialize, Kakashi. You don't know how to._ Sakura just went out with Ino and came back looking like she just wrestled a bull. That alone screams 'ALERT' in his head, meaning, this is one of those days when he shouldn't mess with her. Clearly, he ignored the blaring warning signs and chose ultimate doom. He wanted to repair the damage but his hopes were crushed when Sakura was able to regain her vocabulary back before him. "Well, fine." She threw her hand in the air and stood up so quick, all he could do was sit and watch as the medic grabbed her jacket. It was raining hard outside, an effective result from the spike of temperature that morning.

"Where are you going?" Kakashi asked before she could even shut the door behind her.

She threw him a despairing look, "I need some air. It's quite stifling here, don't you think?" What she really meant was, 'She couldn't stand to be near him after those awful words he just threw at her.'

He opened his mouth but nothing came out. He wanted to take back the words that made Sakura upset more than she already was. Sakura rolled her eyes and closed the door as an end to their discussion.

* * *

"Jerk." Sakura kicked a pebble out of her way and it tumbled through a long stretch of puddle. Her boots squished against the wet pavement she walked on. It was a miracle when she stepped out of Kakashi's apartment, the rain stopped. She tugged on her jacket and bound it around her body tightly. It was already late and the streets were almost empty. The cold, crisp air reminded her not to wear a spaghetti strap underneath a jacket in a cold weather like this. Her parent's house was only a few blocks away so it wouldn't take much time to reach it.

Her parents gave her a few errands before they left and one of them was to visit their house once in a while just to be sure that everything was still there. Sakura chose this night to do that. There's no way she could stay in that stifling apartment with Kakashi. Again the thought of him made her scowl like she had an upset stomach.

"I'm home." She greeted the empty house as she entered the dark hallway. She removed her shoes and turned on the lights. She barely finished her meal of curry and suddenly felt an urge to eat a whole grocery store. Sakura was one of those people who could eat away depression.

After eating a pint of mint ice cream, chips, cookies and even raw carrots and cucumber, Sakura washed up and headed towards her bedroom. It's been ages since she'd been there and the familiar smell immediately welcomed her.

Going to bed was actually, a complete mistake.

Sleeping was easier said than done.

_Damn it!_ She didn't know why, but she couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, trying to get into a comfortable position. She even tried counting sheep in her head but nothing worked.

It was moments like this when things started to jumble inside her mind creating insomnia. Sasuke, Ino and Kakashi were all bugging her, in real life, in thoughts and sometimes in dreams. _Why can't they just leave me alone?_ She irritatingly buried her head beneath her pillow.

_Think of happy thoughts. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy… _she chanted inside her head, _Wait a minute… no happy thoughts?? Are you serious?? _She rummaged further inside her mind and all she had was Sasuke's betrayal, the fistfight with Ino and the utter humiliation from the copy-nin himself.

Perfect. Just perfect.

Boy, was she the saddest excuse for a human being, or what?

* * *

"Sakura… you look like crap." Naruto was sending her a questioning look across the Haruno, family dining table. Sakura need not ask him to come over. Apparently, he already knew she went home and decided to drop by just to put his horrible adjectives into use.

"Why, thank you, Naruto. I feel like crap too!" She angrily gave him his cup of coffee and sat across from him.

"Hey don't get defensive! I'm just telling the truth!" Naruto again reminded himself that an upset Sakura hits better than a sensible one. He could be flying out of the house any moment if he doesn't choose his words carefully. "What happened to you?"

Having the opportunity to sleep for merely three hours, Sakura sported two heavy bags underneath her eyes and unruly hair that tangled stubbornly. "I couldn't sleep."

"Che, obviously!" He rolled his eyes and drank his coffee. He never liked this stuff. He's just drinking it out of courtesy. "I'm guessing it has something to do with Kakashi-sensei?" It was a surprise when he learned that Sakura left the copy-nin's apartment last night.

_Genius._ Sakura rubbed her temple, feeling a little dizzy, "How'd you know?"

"Well… he's kinda off today, you know? He doesn't talk much…"

"Since when did Kakashi talked _much_?" she bitterly chortled at that.

"Yeah, you're right on that one but…" he silently sent Sakura a look that she could not decipher.

"What?"

"Aren't you his personal medic or something? Kakashi's acting weird and you should be there to do something about it. Why are you home, anyway?"

Sakura couldn't understand how Naruto viewed Kakashi as acting weird since _clearly_, he's just that nonchalant. "I needed some space. And I think he does too." She drank the remaining contents of her mug and placed it in the sink.

Naruto scratched his head and wondered what she meant by those words. Sakura moved away from the kitchen and grabbed some bills. Naruto suddenly stood up and followed her. "Sakura, are you having an affair with Kakashi-sensei?" He just had to dig his own grave by asking that **again**. Sakura landed one on his head and a bump immediately surfaced.

"No, you idiot! Where'd you get that idea??" Despite of the ludicrous notion of one Uzumaki Naruto, Sakura couldn't seem to stop blushing ten shades of red.

Naruto winced and rubbed his abused head gently. "You didn't have to hit me so hard…" he whined.

Sakura growled warningly and shoved the bills towards him, "Make yourself useful and pay these for me."

Naruto scoffed and took the bills reluctantly, "Slave driver."

"Bah! You know I love you!"

**TBC**


	9. Jello

-x-

**Nine**

-x-

After eating lunch with Naruto, Sakura headed back towards Kakashi's apartment. It's not like she could avoid him forever… not when Tsunade's hot on her heels, nagging her about not completing a measly D-rank mission. And not to mention that some of her clothes were still in his apartment, so… she really can't leave.

Having a spare key, she entered the apartment and cautiously looked for its occupant. Surprisingly, there was no sign of Kakashi. Relieved, she quickly went to the bedroom. In haste, she failed to notice the dark figure crouched in front of the dresser. When she did, she saw Kakashi holding red lacy panties up in the air.

_Her_ **red** lacy panties!

Sakura released an undignified scream, "Ahh!!! What are _you_ doing??"

Kakashi looked over his shoulder, panties still dangling around his forefinger. "Hm? It got mixed up with my clothes", he said…like it was the most natural thing in the world. He made a thirty-three year old man holding lacy knickers up in the air permissible, which wasn't surprising for the likes of Kakashi. He always seemed to be rather happy in everything he does.

Sakura took only a couple of steps to wrench her garment out of Kakashi's grasp. She was sporting a deep red blush while slightly shaking, out of horror and embarrassment. "Do you really have to **stare** at it?"

"I wasn't staring. You just caught me at a bad time."

"Bad time my a—"

"Sakura, language…" Kakashi tutted reproachfully.

Too used to Kakashi's unusual behavior, she gritted her teeth and said, "I was only gone for a few hours—"

"You left last night."

"Shut up! I was only gone for a _few_ hours and here I find you rummaging through my underwear!"

"I found them in my drawer."

Sakura frustratingly threw her hands in the air and sat on the bed, gripping her head as if her sanity was leaving her. Kakashi chuckled lightly, which made her more irritable. She looked up and glared angrily at him, "What are you laughing at?"

"You." Kakashi didn't even bother to answer discreetly.

Sakura wanted to strangle him… or herself. She wondered why Tsunade assigned her to take care of him. Was this some sort of ultimate punishment she had to endure? "I hate you." She said without malice. She can never be mad at him… not when his eye was crinkling like that, indicating a good-natured smile beneath his mask.

Ah, that mask.

The source of their little row last night.

"Listen," she avoided his eyes when it stopped crinkling, "I'm sorry… about last night. I shouldn't have said that… I mean, I don't have the right to force you to tell me anything about your past. It was unreasonable… and childish." Her fingers fiddled awkwardly, "I was just embarrassed because you were always there to listen but I never returned the favor. It seemed unfair for you and for me as well."

Kakashi smiled and chuckled again. He ignored the look of murder she sent him, "I told you, I just don't want you to see. Trust has nothing to do with it. I _do_ trust you, Sakura. If I didn't, I wouldn't have accepted you in my home in the first place." He hoped his words were making sense. When he saw the look of realization on her face, he exhaled the breath he had been holding. He was half expecting Naruto to come over and collect her things after she decided that she was done with him. He was relieved to see her again. Obviously, she's not as upset as she was last night.

Sakura gave a lopsided smile, "Yeah, I guess you would have…"

"I'm not the type of person who mingles a lot so you shouldn't wonder about my stale socializing skills. I'm not good with words and sometimes say positive things in a negative way." He scratched the back of his head and sheepishly grinned. Sakura thought he looked adorable and it distracted her more than Kakashi's attempt at apologizing. "I didn't mean what I said last night… I have nothing against you telling me anything. We're friends, Sakura. And friends listen to each other…" _It just happens that I'm not completely ready yet to tell you anything._ He added thoughtfully to himself.

She sighed and smiled amusedly at him. "Are you trying to apologize?" She crossed her arms in a challenging manner and quirked an eyebrow.

Kakashi shrugged and raised his hands, "Fine, you caught me."

With a roll of her eyes, she offered her hand and said, "Truce?"

Kakashi chuckled and ruffled her hair instead making the younger jounin pout. Clearly, he had stuck in his mind the idea that Sakura was still twelve-years-old and realized it the moment he ran his fingers through her pink locks. "Hey, it's shorter." He fiddled with a couple of strands falling just above her collar bone.

"Ah well…" She looked away with an evident blush. That night, when Kakashi intimately invaded her personal space was still fresh in her mind. "You said I looked fat in long hair." She puffed her cheeks just to emphasize her point.

"Hm… as far as I can remember I said **plumper**…"

"Same difference." Sakura bit out angrily.

His smile dropped and was replaced with a frown, "Does this mean anything other than the fact that you looked **fat** in long hair?"

_He just had to say it._ Sakura ignored the urge to strangle him and shook the idea with a shrug, "I don't really know what you mean."

Kakashi's gaze didn't falter one bit and it made her uncomfortable. It's as if he could see through her lie as easily as removing nose hair. Ugh, disgusting. "Sakura…" he said, getting impatient with Sakura's denial.

Sakura fought hard to avert her eyes and fixatedly stared outside the window. When she came to the salon that morning to get her hair done, she wondered why her feet directed her there in the first place. Was it all for Sasuke? Was this her idea of forgetting him and finally letting go? To be honest, she was still unsure. Somewhere deep inside her, she knew she still loved him… but was it strong enough for her to bear a little more? Is she still willing her relationship with Sasuke to work out? Logically, it was impossible. As obvious as it was, they haven't seen each other since that party. And still, she had no idea why he slept with Ino. Ino's side was as vague as Sasuke's. To sum it up, they're both idiots and they were making her crazy.

Kakashi sighed heavily, "I don't have a penny for you thoughts so you might as well say what you want to say."

Sakura's lips twisted in a strange look that was half amusement, half exasperation. "Let's settle with the fact that I want to look better in front of your eyes…"

"Why, I'm flattered." He said with obvious sarcasm. "Let's commemorate this day by drinking sake."

"You're a drunkard."

"My organs are healed, just humor me."

Sakura was shocked, "You were serious?"

Kakashi walked out of the room and replied with mock hurt, "Is it so hard to believe that I can be serious for two seconds?" He expected that would effectively drop their conversation. Surprisingly, Sakura was already following him. At first, he tried to ignore it, went to grab his jounin vest and start for the door. With Sakura's still hot on his heels, he stopped, looked over his shoulder and lifted an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

Sakura innocently blinked twice at his question, "I'm following you, Kakashi." Does she really have to point out the obvious?

"Why?" the copy-nin pressed.

"It's part of my duty as a personal medic to follow my patient wherever he pleases to go." She magically produced a scroll out of her hoodie jacket and showed him Tsunade's clear calligraphy, "It says here that I have to keep you from doing_ crazy_ things."

Kakashi looked affronted at that, "Do I look like someone who'll break the rules?"

Sakura shook her head, "No, but the Hokage said—"

"Fine, fine," Kakashi brushed it off with a wave of his hand and went out. "I'm running some errands… then meeting some friends at Lotus, are you still up for it?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Do I _really _have a choice?" she said in a deadpanned voice.

* * *

Their day turned quite difficult for the medic-nin. Kakashi was obviously trying to make this hard for her, going from one place to another and doing errands while reading Icha Icha Paradise in his spare time. Sakura followed his every step. And it angered her when she realized that he was doing it on purpose. Too tired to argue with Kakashi's pointless wandering in Konoha, Sakura finally gave him the silent treatment, much to Kakashi's relief (after being nagged from noon till sundown).

Sakura however was surprised when she suddenly saw they were heading towards the Konoha memorial. She curiously looked at Kakashi but he kept his back turned towards her and kept walking. That's when she remembered that day when they (she, Naruto and Sasuke) first attempted to remove his mask when they were still genins. She saw him standing in front of that particular memorial, whispering inaudible words while staring at it as if the stone would grow legs and run away.

Her feet suddenly stopped from walking and Kakashi noticed this quickly. "What's wrong?" he asked over his shoulder, both hands tucked inside the pockets of his slacks, looking incredibly laid-back.

"I—" her eyes warily glanced at the tombstone beyond and then back to Kakashi. "I can stay here if you want. I'll wait for you…" she didn't mean to disrespectful or anything. It seemed Kakashi intensely treasured that headstone and she felt like she didn't have the right to be near it.

Kakashi's gaze lingered on her for awhile before shrugging his shoulders, "That's alright, you can come with me."

Sakura looked flustered, her eyes wide and stammered, "I-I can?"

Kakashi didn't reply and just went to approach the tombstone. Sakura silently followed, her eyes glued on the Bermuda grass crushed below her feet and stood a few feet away from Kakashi just to give him and the memorial some personal space.

Kakashi was murmuring something and Sakura didn't bother to eavesdrop. She looked up to the sky and noticed that dusk was fast approaching. When she returned her gaze to the man before her, she saw briefly one particular name inscribed on the monument for ninja who are killed in battle…

**Uchiha, Obito**

She gaped openly at what she just read. _Uchiha? _Her eyes shifted from the stone then back to Kakashi's dark profile. As far as she was aware of, Sasuke and Itachi are the only remaining members of their clan. She never heard anything about Obito, even from Sasuke who was an Uchiha himself. Then it came to her that this person probably had something to do with the sharingan Kakashi mysteriously possesses. Before she could ponder deeply into this newfound revelation, Kakashi was already standing in front of her, looking amused.

"Are you alright?" Kakashi questioned, brow lifted.

It took some time before she replied, "Yeah… of course." She wanted to ask him a lot of questions but refrained herself from doing so. She knew Kakashi wouldn't answer them anyway… Uchiha Obito was probably a part of Kakashi's past that he'd been trying so hard to keep to himself. She didn't want Kakashi to get the impression that she was meddling with his life. They've already talked about this and she didn't want another spat with him.

"Are you sure?"

_Boy, don't you dare provoke me._ Her mouth itched to ask. Kakashi wasn't helping any with his standing before her as if waiting for her to say something. "Yes. I'm fine." She shuffled her feet when she felt his scrutinizing eyes on her. It was annoying.

He didn't say anything after that and set off. Sakura reluctantly followed him.

Kakashi indeed went to Lotus that night, a small snack shop downtown where most jounin's hang out. She recognized a few people as she entered with the copy-nin walking a little ahead of her. It was obvious that he's a regular here after seeing most of the people greet him, including the young hostess' who fluttered around him asking stupid questions. She felt a disgusted feeling in her gut when one particular lady even dared to flash her overflowing cleavage on the nonchalant copy-nin.

He wasn't the type of guy who basks freely in the attention he was getting from the ladies. That was Genma's forte, not his. He was flattered of course, but he would give nothing more but a charming smile and a flattering word or two. He could feel Sakura's gaze burning into his back. He briefly wondered what was wrong with her. She didn't have the right to get mad because she was the one who insisted on coming despite his warning. Falling into a conclusion that it was that time of the month for Sakura, he took the stool next to Genma who was there early, flirting with the new hostess named Otose. She was busty alright, and tan. He noticed the way Sakura eyed Otose and then instinctively observed her own rack. He couldn't help the amused grin on his face from resurfacing and Genma immediately noticed this.

"You're in a good mood today," Warm-hazel eyes noticed the young, pink-haired medic who took the stool next to his best friend. "Ah, Sakura-chan." A slimy smile slinked onto his charming face. "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

Kakashi didn't like the look Genma was sending his personal medic. "She's following me 24/7."

"Am not!" Sakura griped.

"Oh?" Genma blinked at the two. Apparently, the news about Sakura being Kakashi's personal medic never reached him. After Sakura explained about their situation, the smile on Genma's face widened. "I would give anything to have a pretty little thing like you tending to my every _need_ 24/7…" his brows wiggled suggestively. Sakura shivered at Genma's obvious flirting and she didn't know if she should feel privileged or not. Otose didn't like how Genma switched his attention from her to the bubblegum haired girl. She wrapped her arms around his but still gained nothing, not with Genma looking Sakura over like fresh meat.

Sakura blushed deeply and was about to say something but Kakashi interrupted her. "You'd do that to anyone that moves." It was a miracle that Genma failed to notice the malice in his words and took it as one of Kakashi's dreary jokes.

Genma laughed richly and tapped Kakashi's back, "I guess that accident hasn't done anything with your astonishing sense of humor." When he felt that he was the only one who was amused, he turned towards Otose and the hostess squealed in delight.

Kakashi drank his sake, relishing the first taste of alcohol in his mouth after so many days of abstinence. Sakura kindly took the drink Genma ordered for her, earning an inconspicuous glare from the copy-nin.

Genma purposely stood up from his stool and sat on the empty one next to Sakura's. She heard a lot of things about Genma and his flirtatious nature. One of the nurses from the hospital once warned her not to be taken by sugar-laced words spouted out of Genma's mouth. Now sitting here drinking while half-listening to said man made her realize that she should've taken that advice seriously. She was giggling like a school-girl and suddenly found Genma quite charming. Despite Genma's silly jokes, she was laughing at every punch line. She didn't know why she was even responding to him like this. Was it the alcohol or was it because she was hungry for some attention particularly from an attractive bachelor? It was odd acting all lady-like with a man she barely even knew. This was the first time she actually had the chance to talk to the jounin who always had a senbon between his lips. She couldn't remember acting like this to Sasuke or Neji or to anyone she dated in the past. Perhaps learning the art of flirting and how to receive it was part of growing up… And she only realized it now after being around with the likes of Naruto and Kakashi who treated her like she was 'one of the boys'.

One particular jounin however found himself irritated whenever Genma's hand strayed too close to Sakura's shoulder. His eye watched Genma's every move, knowing exactly how the man worked his charm with the women. He couldn't tell whether Sakura's uncomfortable or not with her laughing with empty mirth. He assumed she's being rebellious. Maybe she assumed dating other people might be the solution she'd been looking for in order to get over Sasuke. But with Genma? Why did that sound so ridiculous?

"Genma's so mean, leaving me like that." Otose obnoxiously whined next to Kakashi while slinking her arms around his. "I'm glad you came today, Hatake-san…" On any other day he would've exchanged naughty banter with this little vixen. But tonight was different, as his attention kept straying over to a certain pink-haired girl and his brunette companion.

Otose sent Sakura a disgusted look before she walked away with a huff. Kakashi turned but did not stop the hostess from leaving.

"Now, now, what did you do to her?" Genma asked teasingly.

Kakashi grunted, "Not my type."

Genma laughed, "Yeah, I can see that." He sighed dramatically and moved to follow Otose, "Might as well get my money's worth." When the brunette was gone, Kakashi was left with a rather riled Sakura.

"Is there something on my face?" she questioned with her arms crossed.

Kakashi drank his sake, "Aside from that evident blush on your face? No, I see nothing." The sarcasm was pretty obvious and Sakura had to admire how Kakashi schooled his emotions perfectly.

"Genma's interesting…" That was probably wasn't the best answer but those were the words that came out of her mouth. "He's funny."

"He's a womanizer." He rectified immediately. There was something about the fact that Sakura was taking a liking to one Shiranui Genma that made him bitter. It was an odd feeling and if he didn't know any better, he'd have to say he was crushing on his ex-student, which beyond impossible. Sakura was an attractive young woman, smart, has a good sense of humor and is physically strong. She might be a little weak emotionally and still views things immaturely, but Sakura was able to achieve so much at such an early age. Genma might have seen the wit he desired in women within Sakura and this piqued his interest. But if there's one thing he could say about Genma, it's that he's not in it for the commitment. The brunette long ago accepted the fact that long-term relationships weren't for him and this realization broke many hearts. Kakashi didn't want Sakura to be one of those girls. Or so he thought…

Sakura smiled and poked Kakashi's cheek, "Aww, are you jealous?"

Kakashi held a straight a face, "Maybe I am."

"Oh please, like you didn't get any attention from those—those people." She made a hand motion around the area, exaggeratingly pointing at the three girls mooning over him in the far corner of the bar. "If there is someone who should be jealous, that would be ME." It was supposed to be a joke, but why did her voice sound so… upset?

Fortunately, Kakashi chose to ignore that and drowned himself in another shot of sake.

"You shouldn't drink too much, you know?"

"I know my limits."

They shared an uncomfortable silence then, trying to avoid each other's eyes as they finished their drinks.

* * *

Sakura groaned as Kakashi's figure grew heavier against her side. "Now, what did I tell you, huh?" She hefted Kakashi again and the two made their way back to his apartment with great difficulty.

"I—_can't _remember…" Kakashi wasn't as wasted as he looked since his words weren't slurring… he was just suffering a transitory memory loss. It seemed the sake they had was a very special one… one that made his feet wobbly like **jell-o**. Luckily, Sakura only drank a cup or two after realizing that one should be sober enough to take their butts home.

Sakura hoisted him up a little higher. "You'll be the death of me, you drunkard." Sakura said as she gave Kakashi a contemptuous glare.

Kakashi said nothing and allowed his ex-student to drag him roughly, seeing as he quite deserved it. He couldn't believe he lost the ability to walk normally just from a few bottles of sake. It never happened before. Now he knew why the bartender never got tired of telling him how that Sake was wicked with each shot he had.

As they turned onto another block, Sakura gasped and her whole body became rigid. Kakashi lifted his head and saw Sakura's gaping towards a particular direction. She turned extremely pale and her eyes looked like they'd pop out of their sockets. He followed the beeline of her gaze and found himself releasing a surprised gasp as well.

Down the street they saw Tsunade and Shizune walking towards them. From the looks of it, he guessed they came from a very important meeting… a very awful meeting at that. Tsunade was sporting a tight scowl on her face while Shizune followed her solemnly.

"Oh my god!" Sakura suddenly threw his arm off her shoulders and supported him to stand up on his own wobbly legs. As they came closer and closer, Sakura kept hitting his arm, "Don't swagger! They can't find out… oh no, what will shishou say—wait a minute, I can smell sake all over you! No! Okay, what do I do? What do I do?" She started pacing back and forth, trying to calm her haywire nerves. She can't panic! She mustn't panic! _This is awful, this is awful—_

As much as Kakashi wanted to look presentable in front of the Hokage and not some guy in his mid thirties drunk in a strange brew of sake, he couldn't. His legs were about to give out on him any second now.

"Oh no, no they can't see you like this!" She suddenly pulled his arm and dragged him in the opposite direction. They took the longest route, entering one alleyway after another and apparently, ended up on Sakura's street.

"Where are we?" Kakashi asked bluntly after realizing through his hazy mind that he didn't recognize the buildings surrounding him.

"Err—well, we're in my area so…"

"How'd we end up here?"

"I—I was panicking and took the wrong—"

"We shouldn't have gone through the alleyway."

"Hey, I can't risk Tsunade seeing you like this!" Sakura exclaimed, mortified.

"Like what?" Kakashi tauntingly raised an eyebrow.

"You're tipsy!"

"I'm not tipsy… my legs are." He protested weakly while pointing at his legs to emphasize his point. Really, when will his body wash the sake out of his system? He really felt ridiculous right now…

"Whatever!" Sakura rolled her eyes and slung his arm around her shoulders again. "I guess your staying at my place tonight." Thankfully, her parents' weren't around… she could only imagine the shock on her mother's face when she finds out she took a drunk Hatake Kakashi into their immaculate home. She would definitely freak out.

"Does your bathroom have white tiles?" Kakashi asked out of the blue.

With scrunched brows, Sakura said, "Yes," followed by a doubtful question, "Why?"

"Well, I apologize in advance 'cause—" Kakashi looked like he was about to throw-up, "—I don't feel so good."

Sakura just wanted to die.

**TBC**

* * *

**AN:** Thank you **tootalltygerlily** for the beta-ed! And thank you guys for the wonderful reviews! 


	10. Realization kicked in so late!

-x-

**Ten**

-x-

Kakashi sat silently on the couch while looking around the unfamiliar Haruno household. His legs still felt weak and Sakura said she thought of a solution to purge the alcohol immediately. She excused herself and disappeared into the next room. When she came back, she was carrying an IV bottle and a syringe in her other hand. "You can sleep in my bedroom." She told him before hoisting him up again.

"The couch is fine." He stated.

"Absolutely NOT, Kakashi! Not in _my_ home." There was a tone of exasperation in her voice. "You let me sleep in your bed so I guess I'm just returning the favor by letting you sleep in mine." That didn't sound right but none of them cared. When they reached Sakura's bedroom, she let him to sit on the bed while she went to get the IV bottle.

"What are you doing?" Kakashi was surprised to see her preparing for IV insertion, a procedure he had always abhorred whenever he had the opportunity of being admitted in a hospital. He swallowed with great difficulty when she reached for his hand and made him ball it into a fist.

"I told you I'd wash out the alcohol from your system, didn't I?" she pointed at the IV bottle she had hanged on a makeshift IV stand (her old floor lamp). "This is the solution I was talking about."

Kakashi wanted to withdraw his hand and run away. But he knew resisting would be impossible… especially when you had jell-o legs. He wouldn't get far before Sakura would haul him back to her bed. "Don't you have to ask for my consent first?" His eye widened a fraction upon the sight of needle.

Sakura tried not to laugh out loud at the look of fear that flashed over Kakashi's face. Who knew the infamous copy-nin's afraid of some measly needle? "Kakashi, you _need_ it… and I don't need your consent for this procedure unless I'm performing a surgery on you. And besides, what's wrong with you? You endured worst pain before. This will only hurt for a second."

"Are you even allowed to keep all these stuff?" he warily looked at the IV bottle and the syringes on her bedside table.

"Kakashi, I'm a medic in case you've forgotten." She grunted irritably before she started finding a straight vein on his fist. Kakashi's vein wasn't hard to detect as it immediately resurfaced after a few taps of her fingers. She noticed his hand had gone paler and as she looked up, she saw Kakashi looking like he had seen a ghost or something. "Ne, Kakashi?" He tore his eyes away from his fist and looked up at Sakura who was grinning from ear to ear. "Kiss me?" she asked out of the blue with a devious smile on her face.

"Ha—ah, shit! Huh?" Sakura inserted the needle in the midst of his surprised state and she could not help but to laugh a little after seeing him slightly jerk from the prick. It was an effective way to take his mind away from the pain… unfortunately, that didn't quite worked after hearing Kakashi's startled yelp.

"Done!" She arranged the tubing and regulated the drops needed for eight hours.

"That was low," Kakashi muttered darkly while caressing the area where the IV was inserted.

"Oh, quit whining and go to sleep." She helped him remove his sandals as he climbed up on the bed further. Kakashi had already taken off his vest and shirt before Sakura inserted the IV in him. Sakura was unfazed by it, unlike before. Due to the unpredictable weather in Konoha, she's quite used to seeing Kakashi shirtless these past few days. There were a few rain showers and more sweltering heat in the month of June. Tonight was quite warm, and so Kakashi wanted to sleep shirtless, at least that was Sakura's conclusion.

"Where will you sleep?" Kakashi felt uncomfortable at the fact that he was taking Sakura's bed. The idea was just so wrong… or was it because of the disgustingly girlish ambience of _her_ room?

"I'm thinking of sleeping in my parent's room…" her face crinkled in disgust, "Uh, no wait, I changed my mind. I'll just sleep on the couch."

Kakashi frowned, "Are you sure?"

Sakura sighed heavily, "Kakashi, you're in _my_ house. I'm hospitable so deal with it." After that, she disappeared behind the closing door, effectively ending the argument.

Kakashi stared at the door for a few minutes before dropping his head on the plush pillow. He'd been sleeping on a couch every since Sakura moved into his apartment and mind you, it was unpleasant. He never said anything about it but the first few days of sleeping on that aged couch gave him a backache and stiff neck.

He doubted Sakura would survive tonight…

* * *

There was an annoying tapping somewhere around the room and it urged him to open his heavy eyelids. He glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table and read 3:15 am. He got up with the floor lamp in hand and went for the door. He opened it and saw Sakura standing outside with an unsure look on her face.

"Sakura?" his voice was still gruff from sleep, his stared at the medic with curious but sluggish eyes.

"I can't… sleep." She told him quietly and was looking anywhere but him. Kakashi was about to say 'I told you so' but was rudely shoved inside as Sakura entered the bedroom. "Don't even say it." She gritted accompanied by a death glare.

Kakashi sighed and closed the door behind him. Sakura was standing before the bed and was looking at him as if she was waiting for his consent or something. "Well, what are you waiting for? It's your bed."

Sakura's lip curled in a halfhearted sneer and did as she was told. She slid under the covers as Kakashi took the other side. "You're walking… that's good." She said more to herself as she felt the bed dipping when Kakashi climbed on it.

"Hm, I guess it worked… can you take this off?" He really wasn't comfortable sleeping while trying his best not to irritate his IV site by sleeping on it. Sakura nodded and went around the room to grab some cotton swabs and gauze. She returned and went to remove the IV, and covered the punctured site with a gauze pad. Once done, she took all the medical supplies to the bathroom and decided to deal with it in the morning.

She again slipped into bed and sighed with content as her head hit the pillow. But the thought of sleeping with Kakashi in the same bed quite bothered her, and thus keeping her from having a decent sleep. She turned her head and saw Kakashi staring blankly up at the ceiling as well. The lights were turned off, only the moonlight outside was their source of illumination. She could see his outline through the dark and noticed there was a frown on his face.

"Kakashi?"

"I can sleep on the couch if you want."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "This argument is getting on my nerves, you know?"

"That's the whole point." Kakashi chuckled as if to agree and then there was palpable silence. "This is weird." Kakashi said, still amused.

"I know…" she didn't know why her heart kept thumping just at the thought of Kakashi lying so close to her. Their shoulders were barely touching and their hands might as well intertwine at its close proximity. She tried to sneak a glance at him again and caught him watching her. She barely had the time to ask him what was wrong when he suddenly turned his back on her, keeping all questions at bay.

"Good night, Sakura."

A little hesitant to end their awkward conversation, Sakura sighed and turned on her side as well, "Yeah, 'night." And within a few minutes, she drifted into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Sakura woke up with the feeling of being warm. Her eyes fluttered open in confusion and found herself face to face with Kakashi's covered neck. Her eyes widened when she found their limbs tangled together, her arm resting above his waist with her leg sandwiched between his. She stiffly raised her head and saw Kakashi fully awake, staring blankly at the wall.

"Kakashi—"

"I know…" There was no sign of him being uncomfortable in this position except the fact that he refused to look at her.

Sakura hated to admit it but the warmth was quite soothing. It's been awhile since she'd been held like this and she inwardly loved the idea that it was Kakashi's arms that were wrapped around her. She should feel awkward and embarrassed. But why does she find herself burying further into his warmth? She had to admit, she liked it _a lot_… but what about Kakashi? Was he upset about this? Was she being too forward for not jumping out of bed and screaming 'pervert' at the top of her lungs?

"Do you—do you want me to move?" she stammered while looking up questioningly at Kakashi. _He smelled good…_ she couldn't help but notice since her nose was almost touching the rough fabric of his mask.

Kakashi couldn't bring himself to move… not when he felt something incredible while holding her this close. He didn't know if it had something to do with him not having a female companion for a long time or that it was Sakura who had her arms wrapped around him. "I don't know… do you want to?" That was a really stupid question, but his mind was all fuzzy and lethargic from sleep, he couldn't think straight.

Sakura didn't know which was more intoxicating having Kakashi wrapped all around her or the way she felt his breath on the top of her head.

This was utterly wrong. They shouldn't hold each other like this! They're friends, aren't they? Friends do not cuddle in bed! It was just wrong being a few inches away from each other, especially when it's Hatake Kakashi, your former teacher who's holding you.

"… no?" Sakura hated the fact that she sounded so unsure. She gave up and just closed her eyes again as she allowed this warmth to wash over her.

"Good… stay where you are." His arms unconsciously pulled her closer until she was completely flush against him. It was still early, around 5:30 in the morning so he guessed they still had an hour or two to sleep.

Sakura gulped. She suddenly realized just how much of her body was pressed up against Kakashi but she did not move away. Instead, she pressed closer and the tension of finding each other in tangled limbs vanished and both seemed to relax.

Kakashi too, followed her to dreamland with only one thought in mind before he drifted off.

There's nothing wrong with two lonely people seeking each other's company. **'No man is an island entire unto himself'**.Dish out that island talk… all anyone needed was someone to step in and let them know that they're not alone.

And Kakashi, he had his outlet right here in his arms.

They both needed it. So what's the point of _denying it_?

* * *

Tsunade looked at the two with her chin propped on her hand while the other tapped the table impatiently. After learning from Yoshino about Kakashi's progress, and the fact that there was a shortage of ninjas these past few weeks, she finally decided to call Kakashi again for some A and S-Class missions. She knew the copy-nin would gladly accept any mission offered to him as long as he can offer his servitude to Konoha. Her eyes drifted from Kakashi and onto the pink-haired medic standing next to him. Tsunade knew her no.#1 student missed a lot in the program under Misato's tutelage. The surgeon kept bugging her with questions like, 'When will Sakura return to the hospital?' and 'Why did you allow Sakura to receive a mission while in the program?'. Tsunade assumed that the young surgeon had taken a liking to Sakura and would do anything in his power to get her back. The Fifth was obviously fed up with every one fussing over the two and finally came to a decision to split them up.

"I'm expecting a report from you, Sakura, tomorrow morning." Tsunade said with certain firmness in her voice.

Sakura frowned, "Does this mean the mission's over?"

"Yes." Tsunade nodded solemnly, "Kakashi's health has progressed greatly and now ANBU needs him." She then pointed at Sakura, "You, however, missed a lot of your training. Misato-sensei's willing to accept you back and fill you in." she watched as her student unsuccessfully masked the look of disappointment on her face. Tsunade began to wonder how close those two had grown after living under the same roof for almost a month. Almond eyes shifted from Sakura and then to Kakashi who just stood obediently at his post, avoiding her pointed glare. Unlike Sakura, Kakashi's very complex when it comes to his emotions. She couldn't tell whether the man was as upset as his companion or excited that he'll receive missions once again.

Sakura had no idea what to feel or what to say. Don't get her wrong, she was definitely glad that Kakashi is in good physical shape and that she's going back to work effectively tomorrow morning. But half of her was upset… and sad that the mission was over. She fleetingly glanced at Kakashi, who had his face schooled perfectly and his stance languid. Typical Kakashi.

She kind of hoped Kakashi would be upset about their pending separation.

Misery loves company after all.

When the meeting was over, the two headed out of the building in complete, perpetual silence. Sakura still wondered what was bothering her, willing the awful feeling in the pits of her stomach to go away and leave her be. She looked ahead of her and once again found herself watching Kakashi's back. She bit her lower lip and tried to come up with something to say. She could think of nothing and ended up enduring the stillness between them.

"Kakashi…" Before she knew it, his name already slipped out of her mouth.

The copy-nin stopped and acknowledged her evenly above his shoulder, "Hm?" He waited for her to say something, but he waited in vain. What was he expecting anyway?

"Iie… nothing." She shook her head and walked away. She could feel his gaze burning holes through the back of her head but ignored it. She kept walking, not really caring whether he was following or not. He was not her responsibility anymore and had the freedom to go places all by himself… without her trailing him like an annoying shadow.

It was still confusing, she thought. She wanted to know why she felt this way… Why she was so unwilling to the end this trifling mission. There was one thing she was sure of, though. She and Kakashi would be back to being acquaintances again. She'll be very busy in the hospital, and he'll be out on missions, which will completely sabotage the close friendship they built for the past few weeks. It was sad that it had come to this, where Sakura didn't want to leave Kakashi's side. _What's wrong with me?_ She kept asking herself. She was used to living alone… and she was sure Kakashi much enjoyed having his apartment all to himself. That's why she found it so difficult to ask him how he felt about Tsunade's decision. She was afraid he'd be okay with it. She was afraid to see him relieved of finally getting rid of her.

The weather echoed her mood and rain started to pour.

* * *

The hospital was her sanctuary. The moment she stepped in, a calming sensation came over her, as she smelled the familiar scent of antiseptic around her. Tsunade told her to inform Dr. Misato herself about her return and so she immediately asked the front desk where he was. The nurse kindly informed her that her resident was currently in the middle of an open-heart surgery and it would be hours still before he would out of the OR. She decided to wait and told the nurse that she'll be at the lounge in case Dr. Misato passes by.

She sat on the lounge, looking at nothing in particular while holding a cup of coffee between her hands. Too occupied with her thoughts, she failed to notice the handsome Hyuuga striding in her direction.

Neji had his cast removed after an accident not so long ago and was about to leave when he caught sight of a familiar pink-haired girl. When he was sure it was Haruno Sakura, he approached her and lightly tapped her shoulder, "Hey,"

Sakura looked up abruptly, surprised, "Oh, Neji." She pulled a tight smile, "Hi."

Neji sat next to her and said, "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

Sakura nodded, "Yeah… I've been really, really busy." She and Neji had been friends ever since he dated Tenten. She usually scheduled lunch with them at least twice a week. But ever since she moved in Kakashi's apartment, she hardly had the time to see them.

Neji gave an understanding nod, "I know. Tenten's quite upset. You know how hard it is to console that girl when she's upset."

Sakura found herself laughing at this, "Tenten's difficult to deal with… I have to admit. But that's what you love about her." Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she watched the Hyuuga twitch in slight embarrassment. Neji was never open when it comes to discussing his love affairs.

Neji coughed nervously, all the while glaring towards the giggling girl. "Whatever."

Sakura stopped laughing and ended up smiling widely, much to Neji's chagrin, "So, what are you up to these days?"

Neji looked afar and dropped his voice, "I'm getting married."

Sakura's jaw dropped at that, "What??"

"I said—"

"I know what you said! I mean… you're—oh my god, you and Tenten are getting married??" She couldn't help feeling ecstatic on this surprising news.

Neji chuckled. The look on his face did not quite match this, "No. I'm marrying the girl Hiashi-sama chose for me."

Sakura's happiness plummeted and joined her jaw down on the pristine floor of the hospital, "I-I don't understand… I thought you were with Tenten?" My god, she hasn't seen them for weeks and suddenly everything's turned upside down. She knew Neji and Tenten disagree on many things but she never thought they'd argue to a point where they would actually break-up.

"We're not together anymore. It's been a week, I guess." Neji said.

Sakura couldn't understand why Neji looked like he had already accepted this without even feeling any form of regrets. Her frown was proof of her confusion, "You let your uncle ruin your relationship just because he wanted you to marry early?" She thought it was quite unfair but then it was quite expected, especially from someone like Neji who came from a very well known clan. It was traditional for people in the higher society to have arranged marriages. But she never thought Neji would get the same treatment since he wasn't yet fully accepted as part of the main branch. It must've been awful for Tenten… she knew the brunette loved the Hyuuga so much. "Oh, Neji… I'm so—"

"Don't be," Neji interrupted, "It's only for the best. Hinata-san and I have the responsibility to expand our clan. We pretty much expected this to happen someday."

_W-wait a minute! Did he… did he just—_ Sakura's eyes were so wide in awe, "Are you saying that you're engaged with Hinata? You're engaged to your **cousin**??" said Sakura, looking alarmed. She couldn't believe she was missing out so much!

Neji sighed, "A marriage within the family is not unusual in our clan, Sakura. It's the only way to preserve our bloodline." He may not look it, but she could tell Neji's not all too happy with this idea. She began to wonder how Hinata's coping with the situation. For sure she's not on good terms with Tenten. She suddenly felt guilty for not being there for her friends when they needed her.

"How's Tenten?"

"She won't talk to me…"

"And Hinata?"

"She's been crying for days…"

"Did—did you even asked Tenten to marry you?" Sakura asked distractedly.

Neji scoffed, "What's the point? She wasn't ready."

That stabbed her right in the head. Silence ensued after and the two looked anywhere but each other.

"When is the wedding?" She didn't sound so enthusiastic anymore.

"It will take a year for a normal engagement. But since Hiashi-sama wants to get this done, the wedding's next month."

Sakura gave a surprised gasp, "_A month_? But what about the _yui-no_ ceremony?"

"They said they'll take care of it and assured Hinata and I had nothing to worry about."

"This is giving me headache." Sakura groaned. "I don't understand. Why are they rushing the wedding?"

The pearl-eyed boy lopsidedly smiled and replied, "They need an heir… and they think we're old enough to have one. The people from the main house couldn't wait no longer."

_An heir…_ Sakura once again found herself lost in her own thoughts.

-

"_Marry me."_

_Her eyes widened like saucers and her mouth fell agape, "What?" she dumbly asked._

_Sasuke looked straight into her eyes and repeated his impromptu proposal, "Marry me, Sakura."_

-

That particular memory flashed through her mind and it dawned on her, the reason why Sasuke asked her to marry him that day. "No..." The idea of having an heir troubled Sasuke that day and prompted him to ask for her hand in marriage. _No shit, Sherlock._ Now her headache increased ten fold.

Neji frowned at Sakura's odd behavior, "Sakura, are you alright?"

She suddenly stood up, "It's nice seeing you again, Neji. But I… I have to go." Before Neji could say anything, she was already running out of the building.

**TBC**

* * *

**AN:** Thank you for the reviews! Don't forget to leave something for this one... really appreciate it. 


	11. Irreversible

-x-

**Eleven**

-x-

After her hasty retreat from the hospital, she found herself wandering around with no particular direction, completely immersed in her own thoughts. She was disappointed to say the least, after coming up with a theory of why Sasuke held her accountable to their splitting up. The Uchiha clan was a part of the higher society and like the Hyuuga clan; they required marriage and an heir. After the Uchiha genocide, the need to continue the bloodline must've pressured Sasuke back then and it coerced that surprising proposal. Sakura wondered why she hadn't thought about it before. What was bothering her was the fact that Sasuke did not bat an eyelash about this issue at the time. It's as if something reminded him of this particular duty and pointed the importance out to him.

It was still vague and it's definitely giving her a headache. She wanted to go home… no, correction, go back to Kakashi's apartment and sleep it off since her appointment with Misato-sensei was well forgotten now. But why does she find herself walking in the other direction? Her brain somehow failed to control her feet and aimlessly moved her down a strange yet familiar dusty road.

At least problem one was answered… off to problem number two, which is why Sasuke said 'love is not enough' as if he's blaming her for their separation. Her frown deepened while rubbing her arms to regain warmth as the temperature began to drop once again.

A few steps later and all of a sudden she found herself standing at the massive front gate of the Uchiha compound.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke was stunned when he found Haruno Sakura standing on his doorstep. "Sakura."

Sakura's face scrunch in a nasty scowl when she pushed the door wide open and let herself in, leaving a stunned Sasuke reeling from her odd behaviour.

Sasuke's brows furrowed in retaliation, "I don't really appreciate you barging into my home in such a rude manner." It had been days since he last talked to her and he'd been trying to get an opportunity to see her again. And now the object of his problem was standing in front of him, albeit fuming mad.

"We need to talk," she had her arms crossed and had the most intimidating glare set upon him.

* * *

The Uchiha compound was huge. Everything felt so cold and eerie and made Sakura shiver inwardly. Both were sitting on the porch of the first house, otherwise known as Sasuke's home. But nothing about it felt homely.

She wondered what would've been Sasuke's life if his clan were still alive. Her eyes fleetingly glanced at the boy sitting next to her. Maybe he would've been a people person, and not someone who angst about his estranged older brother.

Sasuke was silent but he could feel her eyes on him. If they were still 12 years old, he would've told her to get lost. But now, he doesn't mind having her attention focused on him and him alone. He had grown possessive over this pink-haired medic ever since their relationship started and he had to admit, this feeling still remained, despite their current situation. He may not look it, but he did enjoy Sakura's company very much. He saw her in another light, where she was no longer annoying and fawning over him like most of his fan girls do. Honestly, he was disappointed when he noticed the sudden change in her. He was too used to the idea of her annoying him with stupid questions or primarily asking him out just to get his attention. The Sakura he met when he came back from his quest for power surprised him. After learning that the Fifth took her on as an apprentice, Sasuke was impressed and started to respect her. When Kakashi proposed his bell exam, he was able to see the progress his two best friends accomplished. Seeing Sakura so strong and hearing her talk so smart made him realize what an idiot he was for pushing her away.

"Why did you come here, Sakura?" Sasuke asked quietly, his eyes still trained toward the abandoned garden.

The medic sighed, still seeking warmth by hugging herself. She briefly admired Sasuke's tolerance to the coldness and figured that being stoic as an ice cube had its benefits after all. "You left me with words that I couldn't understand… and it kept me thinking until I came up with a theory."

Sasuke tried to suppress the smirk tugging his lips and successfully ended up with a strange look on his face, "You were always a smart girl." He didn't say it with malice but as more of a compliment.

Sakura smiled a little and slowly faded when she asked, "Why didn't you tell me, Sasuke?" Her hands balled tightly above her lap as green eyes marvelled the sundown.

Sure, he would like to tell her that he met Itachi after finishing an A-rank mission from Fog. That his wicked, bastard of a brother told him a lot of things… and one of them was his duty of producing an heir. He'd tell her that he kept this short meeting a secret from the people who were watching him 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That would be grand. "What difference does it make?" Sasuke huffed, "You weren't ready, Sakura. I saw it in your eyes when I asked you. And even if I told you, would you have agreed?"

She squirmed uncomfortably, "Honestly, I'm not really sure." She briefly closed her eyes and then said, "It was so sudden—"

"But what would your answer have been?" Sasuke pressed, trying his best not to sound too hopeful.

Sakura fell silent as she suddenly found it difficult to breathe with her mind reeling. She was nervous and Sasuke's pressuring didn't help. She found his eyes watching her closely and this made her immediately drop all inhibitions and tell him the truth. "No." The thought of being married to him was something Sakura wasn't looking forward to. True, she once dreamed a wedding with Sasuke as her groom when she was still a child. But as she grew up, met new people and eventually, matured, she thought that perhaps her feelings for Sasuke… were no more than a childish crush.

Her eyes widened at this realization, Sasuke removed his gaze from her disappointedly, "Now you know why… why I thought love was not enough." His hand balled fiercely at his sides, "There was no trust. You never trusted me."

"That's not true." Sakura was getting angry.

"Don't kid yourself, Sakura." Sasuke spat vehemently, "Ever since I came back, you acted differently around me. Although I'm not quite surprised since everyone regards me with the same opinion. I was the traitor… the fool who followed Orochimaru, the enemy."

"Sasuke,"

"You don't love me, I can see it… I can fucking _feel_ it, damn it!" He stood up swiftly and glared down at the stunned medic.

Sakura stood up too and reached out to touch his arm just to placate him but he harshly pulled back. Sighing, she shook her head regretfully, "Time changed a lot of things."

"Then why did you accept me in the first place?" Sasuke pointed an accusing finger at her, "Why did you build my hopes up?? Tell me, why?"

"I don't know!" Sakura cried in exasperation, "I'm sorry!" There was a miserable look on her face as she grabbed Sasuke's arms to make him face her, "I'm sorry that I fooled you by pretending that I still felt the same way. _I_ thought I still felt the same way…" Her eyes began to sting and she immediately willed herself not to cry in front of him. He was not worth her tears. "I—I wasn't really… I mean, it started with a childhood crush." She had no idea how to construct her words without hurting him, "You're my friend, Sasuke. I guess the love I felt for you… was purely _platonic_."

His jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed dangerously as he heard these words. It hurt, Sasuke had to admit. He blindly pushed her away. There were so many "if only's", but in truth, he could never change anything. What was done was done. Let bygones be bygones. It was sad he had to be a bastard to push the only girl who actually _cared_ about him and not because he was 'Uchiha Sasuke'.

She wasn't crying, but her eyes were starting to get bleary and glassy. Sasuke hated seeing her cry… he hated making her cry… that's why he refused to see her back then. He didn't think he could handle anymore of her tears that were being wasted on someone unworthy as him. "Stop… don't cry." He told her as gently as he could and ran a hand down his face in frustration. He was never good with words and having that fact established, he had no idea how to placate her.

"I'm not!" Sakura threw icily at him and moved away. "Even if I'm still in love with you, I don't think I would've accepted your proposal. I understand that you want to revive your clan, Sasuke. But this matter is not decided over night. You should've understood why I reacted the way I did."

The corner of his mouth tightened, "I know." Sasuke didn't say anything after that and looked everywhere but at her.

Sakura however could only take so much of this uncomfortable silence. She watched the sun disappear into the horizon as the darkness began to spread.

"I apologize." Sasuke told her. "I shouldn't have slept with another woman behind your back. You didn't deserve that kind of treatment."

"Yes. You shouldn't have done that." Sakura still felt bitter about it. Of course she was no longer jealous, but the thought of your boyfriend and best friend doing 'it' behind your back was still a form of betrayal.

"Ino was there when I was confused…"

"Ino already told me that. As well as the fact that you two still share the same bed." Sakura bluntly pointed.

He inwardly fumed at Ino and her big mouth, "What happened and is still happening between us doesn't mean anything to me. She's just warming my bed…" Trust Sasuke to spout hurtful words.

"Is that all?" she threw him a knowing look.

"What are you trying to imply?" A shadow fell over Sasuke's features and a frown darkened his expression.

She gave a careless shrug, "Don't tell me you have not grown to love her. You've been together for almost a year…" When Sasuke made no action to acknowledge this, she continued, "I can't believe I'm saying this but—" a heavy sigh escaped her lips, "Ino may not be the nicest person you'll ever meet, but she's not the worst. She doesn't deserve that kind of treatment."

"You don't know what you're talking about," he shook his head in surrender. "What Ino and I have is anything but serious." He meaningfully stared at the pink-haired medic and Sakura had to look away from the intensity those dark eyes held. "She knows that and even insinuated that I… that I was still in love with you."

Sakura felt the air rush out of her. She couldn't hear him say things like this. It wasn't right. She already told him that all she wanted was his friendship. She can't let him make her feel guilty over the fact that he hadn't moved on. It's not fair.

"Are you?" She looked at him and he looked back.

There was a good ten seconds of pensive silence before Sasuke approached her and grabbed her arm. He made her face him with him standing a few inches away from her face. Sakura's cheeks reddened from the closeness but felt immensely uncomfortable with Sauske invading her personal space. "Is there still a chance?" His voice was gruff from suppressing the emotions he still felt for her. It was a tough job acting like he didn't care when all he wanted was to hold her and kiss her senseless. Ino was right; he was still beyond a shadow of a doubt deeply in love with Sakura.

Sakura looked deep into his dark eyes for a few moments before shaking her head sadly, "N-no. I'm sorry… I can't. I—" She gently pushed him away and refused to look him straight in the eye. It was already dark, and the moon was their only source of light.

Sasuke refused to look at her as she stood still next to him. He knew it would come to this. What was he thinking anyway? Did he actually expect her to run back into his arms? Did he actually think she'd willingly accept him after what he had done? It was unforgivable… even he, himself, could not forgive himself.

"I'm sorry." She finally had the opportunity to say the reason why she came here, "I'm sorry that I fooled you by pretending that I still felt the same way." She pulled a tight smile and said, "I hope you'll find someone who'll make you happy…" _if not Ino,_ she added thoughtfully, "Someone who deserves you." With that, she walked away and headed for the door.

Sasuke did not try to stop her this time. He leaned against the wall and absently stared up at the full moon. Perhaps it was time for him to accept rejection. He can only lie to himself for so long. He was tired, scared and denying it didn't change the truth.

* * *

"You don't look so good, are you sure you're okay?" Genma queried Kakashi. They just got out from a tedious briefing and decided to stop by a small takuyaki stand. Both considered this as their measly dinner since having a real one would only worsen the ulcer forming in their stomachs. Kisuke Jiro, squad five's commander in chief was known to give lengthy information and data sessions when all ANBU ever needed were **WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE**. Apparently, Jiro failed to understand that.

"The Fifth just confirmed that I'm alright. I guess it's not my place to mistrust her judgement." He said in a most-convincing manner but he didn't think that it worked on the brunette at all.

Genma grunted, "That permanent scowl on your face tells me the opposite." He tipped his head back and drank his sake. "What's wrong with you?"

Kakashi's eye fleetingly glanced at him, "Nothing."

Genma sighed and shrugged, "Have it your way." He quickly diverted the subject and asked, "How's Sakura-chan by the way?"

"She's alright." Kakashi unsurely replied. He knew exactly where this conversation was heading. He'd known Genma for so long that he could read the man like a book. It was obvious that Sakura left a mark on Konoha's biggest playboy and that said playboy started to develop a special interest in her. The insinuating hints and fleeting looks Genma sent to the young medic back in Lotus made his stomach churn and do somersaults.

"Hm, she's living with you still?" Clearly, Genma was trying to make his advances subtle because he knew it would upset the copy-nin despite his persistent denial.

"I don't know." That wasn't a lie. He really had no idea whether Sakura already packed her stuff and moved out or decided to stay her final night in his apartment. The thought of her leaving suddenly drowned his inclination to go home.

Genma lifted an eyebrow, "Why aren't you sure?"

Kakashi was unresponsive and proceeded to finish his second order of takuyaki.

"Okay, I'll get straight to the point." The brunette breathed in deeply as if gathering up courage to utter the next words, "Kakashi, what is Sakura-chan to you?"

Kakashi blinked, "She's—" _An acquaintance? A Teammate? A Friend?_ Instead he answered, "—my former student." **THAT**, obviously was a lie. Sakura was more than that. Then why does he keep telling these lies?

Genma was again doubtful, "Having a hot little number like that in your apartment and you _still_ see her as a former student…" he looked appalled, "Geez, you must be sick!"

"You would make a lovely punching bag right about now." Kakashi warningly glared at him as if he really was about to lay a hand on him.

"God, save me from your wit." He chuckled lowly before stealing one takuyaki off Kakashi's plate. "Seriously, Kakashi, what's going on with you?"

Kakashi scoffed, "Unlike you, May-December never suited me." And so he said.

Genma touched his chest with a look of mock hurt on his face, "Why, I would never—"

"Shut up." Kakashi smoothly admonished.

Genma laughed and soon, it died out, "Sakura-chan is a beautiful woman and you can't stop me from appreciating beauty." He turned toward Kakashi and asked, "So, is she seeing anyone?"

_If someone dared try, I would have skinned him alive before stepping into my apartment._ "I don't know." His tone was clipped and the look he gave Genma sent a silent threat, which the brunette carelessly ignored.

There was a strange glint within Genma's eyes and Kakashi didn't like it one bit, "Interesting…"

"She's too young for you." That simple reminder somehow wasn't even directed to Genma alone.

"And your point is?"

"You'd better not do anything foolish." Kakashi was starting reconsider the earlier threat inside his head, friend or not.

Genma had a lopsided smile on his face before he emptied his cup, "I'm not promising anything, Kakashi. Unless… _you_ make a move on her."

Kakashi pretended he didn't hear that by ordering another bottle of sake.

* * *

The apartment was empty when she arrived. After the Fifth finally bestowed him his freedom, Kakashi probably took this opportunity to do things without Sakura's shadow looming over him. It must've been annoying, Sakura thought. That's why she couldn't bring herself to ask him how he feels about her leaving. Tomorrow she'll move into her parent's house again. She planned on getting her own apartment soon but she thought she'd use this time to freeload on her parent's home while they were away.

She didn't feel like eating after that conversation with Sasuke so she skipped dinner and went to pack her stuff. When she was done, she took a bath and changed into her pyjamas. Physically and emotionally drained, Sakura went to bed early. She slept for a couple of hours and was awakened by the sound of the front door closing shut. She got out of bed and went out of the room.

She found Kakashi removing his sandals and vest before stepping across the threshold. Kakashi stopped when he caught sight of her, leaning against the doorjamb of his bedroom with her hair slightly dishevelled from sleep.

Sakura briefly glanced at the wall clock and read 11:45 pm. "You just got in?"

Kakashi somehow acted differently and just nodded as he sought refuge on his age-worn couch. "Aa." He didn't bother to explain as long as Sakura didn't demand it.

"Have you eaten dinner yet?"

There was it again, that feeling of warmth spreading through his insides whenever she tended to him so zealously. He watched the medic move from the bedroom to the kitchen and started ransacking his fridge. The warmth however was replaced with vicious coldness after realizing that he would lose this kind of treatment soon. The mission was over and Sakura had no reason to stay here with him.

"Yes," he lied, but then he wasn't hungry anyway so what's the use of forcing food down your throat. He went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. That's when Sakura caught the smell of faint alcohol. Her wrinkled nose proved that little fact. Kakashi, in his all-glory of ignorance went to the couch and loafed like a bum.

Sakura rolled her eyes in frustration and went to follow him. She took the other side and poignantly glared at Kakashi who had an arm draped over his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" she started to ask, "Do you want me to flush it out?" Of course she was referring to the IV therapy she performed the last time he was drunk, which was _last night_.

_Good lord, NO! _Kakashi inwardly shivered, "No, I'm fine." He wasn't slurring, so she guessed he wasn't drunk.

Sakura rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sighed. Kakashi watched her and she returned his gaze patiently.

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning." Sakura started, surprisingly in a sombre manner.

"Hn."

"I hope you're happy. No one's going to bother you again whether you're drunk or not." She tried to mask the tone of disappointment in her voice but the look on her face betrayed her pretensions. She was pouting again and Kakashi couldn't help the laughter bursting out of his mouth. She swiftly turned to him and her pout turned into a darker scowl. Boy, was he in trouble. "What's so funny?"

Kakashi denied her the answer she wanted and shook his head. Sakura gave up and went towards the bedroom, "Well, goodnight."

"Thank you, Sakura."

She stopped mid-step and ever so slowly looked back to confirm that she did not hear him wrong. "What for?" Her question came out softly, inquiring, curious. She waited patiently, hoping that he wouldn't mess this up with some witty comeback and learn to sweeten his words just for tonight.

"Thank you for taking care of me. Job well done…" He replied without looking at her. He could feel her gaze burn holes in the side of his head. He must've really surprised her to get such reaction like this from her.

Sakura was certain he was sincere… despite the distant, unreadable look on Kakashi's face. It was all pretend. The unexpected relationship they had built made them less isolated but they feared it all at the same time. They were supposed to work like professionals, act like friends, former teammates… but what exactly are they now? Neither wanted to face this new change nor wanted to accept it just as easily. They found solace through pretences, at least temporarily.

But where will pretences lead them? Tomorrow it'll be awkward. Tomorrow they'll return to their previous roles. Tomorrow, they will pretend none of this familiarity ever happened.

Time was wasting and Sakura knew she had to do something before this little opportunity slips trough her fingers. She just had to.

"It was tedious work."

"Ah? Tedious is a _big_ word."

"The severity of the word was intended."

"Hm, such mean words, Sakura-chan."

Sakura was speechless and just stared dumbly at him until she oddly felt like smiling elatedly. She rejoiced at the fact that she wasn't the only one who enjoyed their sleep last night, "Then can I ask you a favour?" she said after gaining the ability of eloquence again. When Kakashi said nothing, she took that as a sign that he was listening, she went on feebly, "Sleep with me tonight?"

Kakashi could've sworn there was blood trickling down his nose. While in the midst of trying to process Sakura's words, she quickly amended this as soon as she noticed she had to rephrase her request. "N-no! What I mean is…" her face felt hot because she was blushing ten-shades of red. Looking him in the eye never felt so painful, "Like what we did last night. When you held me… it felt nice. And since this will be my last night here… and we'll probably not see each other often so… I guess I—I want…" her tongue chose the perfect time to stutter. Could everything turn out more humiliating as this?

They say 'Well-timed silence hath more eloquence than speech'. But Kakashi's silence always made her nervous and jittery. She could almost feel her heart pounding hard inside her chest. She waited with bated breath for his answer or any form of reaction that would somehow ease this tension away.

"I understand."

She blinked twice and wondered if she heard him right. "You do?" Sakura watched Kakashi stand up gracefully from the couch and walk towards her. Standing near her, Kakashi reached out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. Her face felt hot, a sign that she was blushing from the subtle contact.

Kakashi smiled softly, "Actually, I was thinking of the same thing."

Sakura wryly grinned, "No, you weren't. You were being a pervert again."

"Oh, but the way you asked me insinuated so _many_ things, Sakura-chan." He reached out and ruffled her hair. An effective way to make her nerve-endings go haywire.

Her frown deepened, "Do you enjoy outsmarting me every time?"

"I was pretty sure that was already obvious."

Sakura removed his hand half-heartedly and went to the bedroom in a huff, "Yeah, enjoy your luxury. But just so you know," she looked over her shoulder and flashed him a wicked smirk, "you're not sleeping in that bed until you're cleaned." She sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose, "You're drunk alright. You smell like one."

Kakashi had a look of disbelief on his face, "I'm tired, Sakura. I'm sleeping right away."

"I don't care. I'll kick you out of bed if you don't."

He really didn't know what pushed him but Kakashi found himself abiding Sakura's orders and went to the bathroom to shower. When he was done, he came back to the bedroom and found Sakura already asleep. Sighing, he took his side of the bed and laid there wide-awake for a few minutes. Sakura turned in her sleep and was now facing him, muttering something inaudible.

Kakashi reached out and pulled her closer to him. Her head tucked under his chin with his arms protectively wrapped around her supple body. Once that was done, he finally drifted to sleep.

**TBC**

* * *

**AN: **Review pls! 


	12. Finally!

-x-

**Twelve**

-x-

Sakura woke up when coldness started creeping down her spine. She blindly scooted closer to her source of warmth and released a soft sigh. She felt something slither around her waist, pulling her closer beyond possibility. Now flushed against another body, Sakura found it quite difficult to breath. With a silent moan, she lifted her head and forcefully opened her eyes. That's when she found Kakashi's face a few inches away from hers. He was still sleeping, which Sakura was grateful for because she was blushing tenfold.

Her eyes observed the calmness his face possessed while sleeping. It was evident that despite Kakashi's lackadaisical nature, he was filled with burden. He looked a lot more relaxed while sleeping, the lines on his face were diminished and he looked younger. She smiled after realizing how handsome her former sensei really was. No wonder women literally threw themselves at him whenever possible. A small tinge of jealousy bubbled inside Sakura and she quickly shoved it down. Somehow, the idea of _women_ and Kakashi sounded so dreadful. _You don't have the right to feel such things, Sakura. He's a free man… he can have as many women as he wants. You can't stop him… who are you to stop him?_ She quickly removed this out of her thoughts and decided to focus on other things… like his stupid mask for example.

Who in their right mind wears a mask to bed? It was just silly. And doesn't that fabric itch? It wasn't even possible to have a comfortable sleep wearing that thing.

Lost in her inner thoughts, she absent-mindedly lifted her free hand and started touching the fabric. Surprisingly, it wasn' t rough. Actually, it felt smooth, like silk. Sakura blinked at this newfound information but didn't stop her exploring hand.

Not until Kakashi's hand shot up and grabbed her wrist so fast, all she could do was lay still and look stunned. She felt her breath caught in her throat, her hand frozen in his; her eyes were wide, waiting eagerly for Kakashi to open his.

When he did, Sakura felt herself melting.

There was something in his gaze that made her heart thump so hard like she would have a heart attack any second. She didn't even realize she was holding her breath until her body reminded her the need for air. The tips of her fingers touched the edge of the mask and longing to just pull it down and see half of his face. When she gave in to her own urges, Kakashi didn't stop her, which was odd. In fact, he released her wrist, but his hand still lingered close while she slowly pulled the mask down.

This was it… the moment of truth.

She desperately wished this wasn't a dream because she would literally HURT something if it was. His nose was exposed first and she couldn't help but admire the perfect shape of it. She always thought he had nice structured bones, and his nose was proof. His skin was flawless, except for the few freckles on the exposed part of his face. When his mouth was about to be uncovered, his hand grabbed her wrist again to stop her. Sakura looked into his eyes, confused.

"I trust you, Sakura." She briefly wondered if he was aware that his voice sounded deeper than normal, "But are you ready to meet my father?" She didn't say anything in return, but there was an evident look of ambiguity on her face. "Everyone told me that we looked alike. That's why I hid it from everybody." He watched as she took in his words, fascinated at how her eyes expressed exactly what she was thinking.

The 'White Fang', Sakura thought, was a well-known icon in Konoha. She only knew he was Kakashi's father. It seemed, anything relating to the White Fang was well forgotten in Konoha after an awful episode. _He was ashamed of his father… and because they looked so much alike, he decided to put the mask on to hide the shame his father left him with._ She swallowed the lump down her throat and tried to find her ability to speak.

"No, Kakashi. I want to see _your_ face." She told him solemnly and proceeded on tugging his mask down. Kakashi smiled a little and allowed her to free him off of his shame.

When the mask was gone, Sakura stared at him with pure admiration. He was beautiful… he was perfect. The pad of her fingers touched his naked skin and he hissed softly at the contact. It actually felt nice and sent strange sensation down his spine. He noticed that she was trembling, and when he looked up, he saw tears pouring down her face.

"Sakura…"

"Don't—" she softly said, "don't hide yourself from me ever again." She was crying out of joy. She couldn't explain how she felt. But touching his face, staring at his whole face made her happy. She felt honoured to be one of the few who saw the real Kakashi. "You're not him, Kakashi. You're a person of your own… don't hide yourself on his account." She said a little breathlessly while tracing his well-defined jaw.

His eyes smouldered darkly.

She swallowed hard, looking at him frustratingly. There was an unexplainable need that she wanted to relieve but had no idea what was it. Her breathing grew heavy and her eyes lowered until they were staring at his mouth.

Kakashi rolled and had her pinned beneath him. Sakura didn't make any form of protest and just stared at him wide-eyed, full of awe. The feel of her beneath him was actually nice as he settled between her legs that unconsciously accommodated him. It was suddenly too hot, both chests were rising and creating wondrous friction that made Sakura fight not to whimper.

He was skating dangerously on a thin, treacherous web of desire. His mouth was so close to her skin that he only needed to part them and move the few inches separating them and taste her. He wanted her so badly. She looked so beautiful with those eyes mirroring the same desire in his. He knew he had fallen for her. He knew the days of living under the same roof would make him yearn for her. And the thought of her leaving would damage him somehow. He was lonely, and he needed someone to fill that hollow space inside of him, preferably someone who was alone as well.

"What have you done to me, Sakura?" It was too late to resist now. Her warm body, their heavy breathing, and his quick pulse fuelled his craving for intimacy. His lips tasted her tears and he started kissing them away until he reached her parted lips. He kissed her mouth passionately, hard and desperate. Sakura didn't push him away and instead slithered her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Deepening the kiss, he coaxed her to open her mouth by licking her lower lip and surprisingly, she didn't refuse. She even angled her head to the side and took everything Kakashi gave. It was bliss, it was heaven, and he didn't want this to end. If he knew kissing her would feel so wonderful, he would have done it a lot sooner. He heard her moan against his mouth as their hands explored each other. Sakura gripped the back of his shirt tightly as Kakashi cradled her sinuous body between his arms. There was no stopping this passionate embrace unless someone physically pulled them apart.

His mouth moved from hers to her chin then down to her neck. Sakura sighed softly when he nibbled at the skin just beneath her ear and gently kissed it as it started to redden. He returned to her abused lips and started kissing softly, trying to savour the supple flesh between his lips. His hand boldly travelled down her side and inside her shirt, tracing her warm skin. He broke the kiss to gasp for air and watched Sakura's flushed face. She arched her back, desperately wanting much closer contact as her skin tingled with goose bumps in this sudden rush of desire. When her knee accidentally brushed him intimately, Kakashi groaned and once again sealed her keening moans with a kiss.

They needed this.

They were lonely.

But now they had each other.

It felt right, so why stop?

It was Sakura who broke the kiss this time, yearning for air. She ran her hand through his hair, feeling how soft it was between her fingers as he showered her neck with soft kisses. She was never kissed like this before. It was anything but gentle, like there was no time to slow things down. They were both getting what they could give to each other as if they were running out of time. Her head dropped back with a soft moan when his wandering hand brushed the side of her breast. She never knew her breasts were so sensitive until Kakashi touched her there. "Kakashi," she breathed while pulling him back up for a kiss. His hands returned to her hips and pulled her against him. Her toes curled at the sensation, feeling her head reeling from the intense sensation overload. She felt a particular ache between her legs and she would do anything to appease it.

And then Kakashi suddenly stopped. The warmth of his kisses and his touch was gone and it made her feel empty. He pulled away and looked at her, wide-eyed. Both were trying to recover the air they lost, panting softly.

"Kakashi?"

"I'm sorry." He said hurriedly.

Her eyes flew-wide, "W-what?" Her hands absently gripped his arms.

"We shouldn't have done that." He didn't know if he was telling her this or actually trying to convince himself. "It was wrong—a mistake." Guilt gnawed him raw when he saw hurt in her eyes.

She amended her surprise with a tiny little frown, "Do you regret it?"

For a little while they gazed at each other as if seeking an answer through their eyes. Kakashi remained on top while Sakura remained still underneath. The silence was stifling and it was starting to hurt them both.

"Do you?" Sakura repeated with a small voice. He refused to answer for he had no idea what to say to her. Sakura took his silence as a 'yes'. "I can't believe this." She grinded her teeth, already starting to get angry. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed him with all the force she could muster, "Get off!"

Kakashi didn't put up much of a fight and fell haplessly on the bed beside her.

Sakura was terrified. How could she let someone… deceive her again? How could she let another man hurt her like this? She turned on her side, away from him and curled defensively. She couldn't look at him. She just wished that she didn't feel so disappointed.

"I'm sorry… it got out of hand." He was pretty sure he could've controlled the situation if he wanted to. The problem was; he wasn't too willing to stop. He knew he desired her since he witnessed her growing out of her skin and blossoming into such a beautiful young woman. The only thing holding him back was her issues with Sasuke. He didn't know how deep he felt for this young kunoichi and was still clueless if it was just lust that had driven him. She was an attractive, smart, young woman and one of the best ninjas of her generation. No man could resist something like that. She was like the epitome of every man's dream. But that wasn't really the reason why he wanted to kiss her senseless in the first place.

"Stop!" She bit her plump lip, trying not to cry and show weakness. This was getting old. "Just stop apologizing…" Sakura closed her eyes tightly. Kakashi's presence did little to calm her and she wanted nothing more but to jump out of the window and run away from him.

Kakashi's eyes strayed. He really messed it up this time.

* * *

It was frustrating that one simple make-out session ruined everything she had worked for. Sometimes she wished she never dared to pull that mask down. If she restrained herself from pulling that fabric down, she wouldn't be leaving his apartment without even saying goodbye to him. If she refused the pleasure he offered, she wouldn't be still mulling over an incident that happened three days ago.

Why was she so upset anyway? Did she wish Kakashi never regretted anything? What exactly did she expect from him anyway? Kakashi wasn't the most sociable type of person you'll ever meet and drawing an emotion such as love would be impossible. Or is it?

And what about her? What exactly does she feel for Kakashi? Was she in love with him? If she was, when did it started? Is that the reason why she was so hurt when he said he regretted kissing her? Was that it?

One thing she was sure though. Kakashi was one hell of a good kisser. She had never experienced anything like it. She could still feel how his mouth devoured her and how his hands worshipped every curve of her body. Just thinking about it made her warm all-over and it was SO frustrating!

Maybe she was just physically attracted to him?

_No, of course not!_ Her blush deepened at the thought. Kakashi had done a lot of nice things to her. He helped her move on from her past relationship with Sasuke. He appreciated her dedication to a measly D-Rank mission. He actually said he thinks she was talented and the best young medic nin. He made her feel special, not with kisses but with words as well.

"Excuse me, Atami-sensei for initial counting of instruments…"

It was a four-hour length orthopaedic surgery and Sakura felt her legs would collapse soon. Atami-sensei was such a control freak and tends to verbally abuse his co-workers. With a scalpel in his hand, he was unstoppable as if he was ten-feet tall and bullet-proof. But when they got out of the OR, all that perfection, all that beautiful control falls to crap.

No one dared to speak to each other unless necessary. Sakura anxiously wished for a bed so she could sleep it off. The OR complex was full and she'd been attending surgeries since six in the morning and it was already past three in the afternoon. Her vision was bleary and she was craving food.

"There's an emergency case coming in a few minutes." Jin, a staff nurse told her, "Misato-sensei was wondering if you were scrubbing in?"

Sakura shook her head, "No, I think I'll pass."

Sakura refused the offer and went out of the area. She didn't care whether this will anger her resident. Everyone has their limit and Sakura's pretty sure she had reached hers.

"Haruno-sensei!"

She wanted to walk off and pretend she didn't hear anything. But then she was anything but rude, she reluctantly turned and faced the young intern running her way. She again refused another offering of Tenorraphy surgery and went on her way before Misato sensei caught a sight of her escaping.

She never thought going back to work would be such a pain in the ass. Misato specifically booked her full so as to make up for the training time she lost after accepting a D-rank mission. It was so unfair. It's not like she could refuse the fifth's request. Misato-sensei was particularly bitter that morning of her return to work. He doesn't seem to be much friendlier than usual. She could tell he was really upset from her disappearance despite how many times she tried to explain herself.

She took the half-day off and went straight to her own apartment. She moved out of her parent's house a week ago due to a necessity of having her own personal space.

It's been days since she left Kakashi's apartment… it's been a week since that awkward situation happened. Sakura wanted to forget but the more she tried, the more her brain embeds that one particular memory. She hadn't spoken with Kakashi since he immediately left for another mission that morning. It was pretty obvious that he was trying to avoid the situation as well. Well, it's been a week and from what she's heard from Shizune, the mission was meant to last for five days. She figured Kakashi already returned. It was only fortunate that they hadn't run into each other just yet.

What would she say to him when they see each other? She really couldn't look him in the eye much less have a decent conversation with him. It was driving her mad! It had to be fixed before her brain explodes! Despite how much she wanted to let it all out and tell someone, she couldn't unless she wanted half of Konoha's population to be informed within 24 hours. Naruto was definitely out of the question because she knew he'd beat Kakashi into a bloody pulp if she told him that she just made-out with their former teacher and was ungracefully rejected by him. She and Ino were still on bad terms so telling her would be awkward. Hinata and Tenten got issues of their own. And Sasuke… well, Sasuke would most likely join Naruto and beat the shit out of Kakashi. She narrowed down her options and what did she get? Nothing! Sad.

* * *

The next day was as horrible as yesterday. People kept coming in the hospital and the statistics kept on increasing. Sakura scrubbed in OR 1 and hurriedly went to OR 2 the minute the first surgery was over. She began to wonder what was going on outside the border and how serious the situation was. ANBU were continuously sent to tougher missions and it's taking a toll on the medical team.

"What's wrong with you, Haruno?" Misato questioned her with a worried frown on his face. "You've been spacing out a lot lately and you're performance is quite poor. What's going on?"

Sakura, physically drained, sat on the lounge, "I'm sorry, Misato-sensei. I'm just under the weather today… I'll try my best to keep up, don't worry." She forced a tired smile and was relieved when the resident didn't ask her any further.

She went home late that day and was unable to meet Hinata over dinner. The well-talked Hyuuga nuptials were due on Sunday and she was invited. She was however torn between attending and not attending with an angry Tenten jumping down her throat.

Her apartment was a studio-type, large enough to accommodate her alone. When she got home, she immediately ate leftovers, cleaned herself up and went to bed early. It was one hell of a day and she still had to go back to the hospital later for her graveyard shift.

_Let's face it, I'm killing myself._ Those were the last words she thought before she fell asleep.

* * *

"Hm, can I take my shirt off now?" Genma playfully teased the pink-haired medic as she went around the white-pristine room, preparing for the physical examination.

Sakura didn't even bat an eyelash and replied, "Yes, please do."

Her reaction insulted him a little bit but he guessed Sakura was one of those professionals who really are serious about their jobs. That made her even more attractive. With a smirk plastered on his face, Genma took off his vest and shirt and waited for his doctor to start the examination.

Sakura was about to check his breathing when she was suddenly stopped by Genma's firm grip. She looked up and found his brown eyes smiling down at her.

"You've grown beautifully, Sakura-chan."

_Here we go again, Cassanova._ She laughed a little but she could tell her face was flushing slightly, "So I've been told."

Genma lifted his brows in feign surprise, "Ah, so I'm not the only one trying to lure you with my sweetened words?"

"Apparently, not." Sakura wasn't lying about this. It's just that she tended to ignore the attention she was getting from other men, especially her co-workers.

"I love your wit." Genma murmured, his eyes tracing every detail of her face, "Feisty."

Sakura cocked an eyebrow, "Are you flirting with me?"

Genma laughed aloud and shook his head, "No, I'm trying to ask you out."

It was flattering in a sense that a handsome jounin actually had an interest in her. She knew Genma's reputation when it comes to women but that did not bother her since she knew she wouldn't let herself be a part of those bimbo's whom he's fooled. But being friends with Genma was an exception. She found him funny and easy to talk with. So she guessed going out with him wouldn't be such a bad idea at all… or so she hoped. "Then ask."

He thought that was enough encouragement and went for the gold.

Man, Kakashi will be so pissed.

**TBC**

* * *

**AN: You all deserve my gratitude! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the review guys! I love ya all so much!!! I hope you like this chapter too, despite of the LATE update! This is the closest thing I could write to a mushy scene... read my profile if you wanna find out why. But I hope you liked it! I'll be waiting for your feedbacks, chao!**


	13. The Stage of Denial

-x-

**Thirteen**

-x-

If there was one thing Kakashi hated, it was the rain. He hated how one simple downpour could turn a nice sunny day into dreadful gloominess. He wondered why it felt like years before the month of July elapsed. The shifting weather was starting to get on his nerves. For a person who couldn't breach the imaginary shell that separated him from everyone else, he really didn't appreciate the rain adding up to the whole melancholic theme. He longed for the sun to balance his seclusion. He needed light to make his stagnant life less burdensome… to make him forget that indeed, he was alone.

And not to mention that it gave him the flu a couple of days in the midst of a retrieval mission. He knew he should be seeking some help in the hospital to stop his right shoulder from bleeding. Instead, he found himself walking towards a familiar path.

It was still raining and he was soaking wet. He felt sloppy but that did not stop him from raising a fist to knock three times on the wooden door.

It took a few minutes and a couple more knockings before the door was answered.

"Good heavens, Kakashi!"

He said he needed the sun to balance his seclusion. He also needed the sun to clear the dark clouds away. He briefly wondered if it's the incredible timing or some miracle actually happened when the rain stopped on cue when the door was opened.

Before him stood a rather stunned pink-haired girl with a look of absolute horror on her face when she saw how horrible he looked. "Who—forget it! I'm not asking who did this to you." With an exaggerated roll of her eyes, she stepped aside and said, "Get in."

For someone who hadn't talked for days, both were acting beyond what was expected. Sakura accepted him into her apartment without a word and Kakashi actually had the courage to pay her a visit after avoiding her. The moment she shut the door, the atmosphere turned stale and silence ensued. Kakashi stood in the middle of the small living room, staring at her. Sakura took in a deep breath and tentatively approached him.

It was obviously awkward, facing each other for the first time after the kiss they shared in his apartment. The hurt of being rejected was still fresh… but then Sakura thought she had to face this like an adult and stop mulling over it. "Why are you here, Kakashi?" She inwardly congratulated herself for keeping her voice steady despite being a nervous wreck. As she faced the man who kissed her senseless, Sakura had the urge to either yell or start a decent conversation with him that didn't involve kicking his balls. Apparently, Kakashi was wishing the same thing.

"I'm in need of a medic." He told her honestly, a hand securely covering his open-wound on his shoulder.

"We do have a hospital in case you didn't know. They usually do this job for you." She sounded particularly nasty. She couldn't understand how Kakashi could easily seek her care after what happened and still look incredibly… _un_affected. She realized it hurt her even more that Kakashi looked indifferent towards his unintended rejection. Couldn't he understand that he just broke her heart when he pushed her away? His presence was like a sharp kunai digging further into a fresh wound he had just inflicted.

He slightly flinched at how she harshly delivered those words, "You know I hate the smell of antiseptic." Kakashi knew coming here would be a bad idea. He should've given her a few more days. But then, Kakashi could no longer wait. He couldn't keep avoiding her forever. It was tiring and at the same time, a complete waste of time. He and Sakura developed an unusual friendship and he didn't want to waste that bond.

She warily eyed his bleeding shoulder and finally sighed, "Wait here." While she was gone, Kakashi took this time to observe her quaint living room. There were very few furniture and a few framed photos in the corner. Furniture wouldn't be there unless it was useful and Kakashi found this quite practical.

Kakashi saw Sakura waving her hand at him as if beckoning him to enter the kitchen-slash-dining room. She had her things ready on the table as he walked obediently towards her. He sat next to her and waited while she rummaged through her kit.

She first bandaged his wound and when that was done, she checked for fractures. Seeing that the older jounin was now healed and cleaned, Sakura focused her attention on his mismatched eyes.

"You used it again, didn't you?" she accusingly questioned.

Kakashi tried to amend her disappointment with a tight smile, "I had to."

Sakura sighed heavily, "Take off your hitai-ate, please?" She waited while Kakashi did as what he was asked. "Does it hurt?" She knew the question was useless, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Her cool hand touched the surface of his left eye, soothing the burning pain.

"Unbearable."

"I told you to be careful."

"I've done my best."

"If a man does his best, what else is there?" she softly mused while smoothing his eyelid.

Kakashi blinked his eyes slowly, staring right into her, "You're turning into some kind of a philosopher."

Sakura's mouth lifted in a cocky smile, "Why, I learned from the best." She then proceeded to heal his eye.

"What would I do without you?" Kakashi absently questioned while observing her neat bandaging in awe.

"Well, you could try the hospital. They'd be willing to help." She quipped while Kakashi returned it with a dry laugh. Sakura tried hard to smile but she knew it was hopeless. She was breaking and pretending to be cheerful was hurting her more. She just noticed they were in close proximity when she felt his breath burning her cheek. Throughout the conversation she was trying to avoid contact. But she then suddenly found herself looking up and meeting Kakashi's cool gaze. He didn't say anything and just stared. Sakura wished she didn't appear like she was longing for his touch… for his kiss… for his attention… because she was feeling it all at the same time. Only one move and she would be pressed flush against that hard body she touched a few days ago.

"Are you done?" Kakashi asked, his hand already adjusting his hitai-ate. Sakura looked at him and distractedly nodded her head as she hurriedly arranged her medical kit. She stood up, but Kakashi stopped her, his hand gripped hers tightly. And the next thing she knew, she was on his lap, kissing her former sensei. It took her some time before her mind cleared and realized what they were doing. But did she stop? Surprisingly, she didn't. Should she stop it? She doesn't think she had the strength to do so as she felt herself weakening in every second of having those lips devour her like a drunken man.

Kakashi knew he wouldn't last without touching her. It seemed his craving for her was worse than he thought since he ended up kissing her. Those lips haunted him non-stop for days and during his missions. It was distracting to a point that he knew it was driving him nuts. And to have the opportunity to feel her warmth, kiss her lips, touch her skin and smell her scent was mind-boggling. Thinking straight wasn't an option here.

_No, wait, stop!_ She frantically pushed him away, wiping her lips with the back of her hand as she sat there at arms-length with a look of horror on her face. She appeared to be angered and confused, a clear result of the kiss she wasn't expecting to receive. "What are you doing??"

"I'm sorry, Sakura." It was odd seeing him talk without his mask again and she found herself half mesmerized watching him.

"I already told you," she grounded her teeth, already starting to get angry, "stop apologising."

"I'm sorry." She couldn't understand how Hatake Kakashi's mind works because clearly, he was working automatically like a busted recording machine.

"You're mad." Sakura shook her head in disbelief; the after effect of their kiss was slowly diminishing.

Kakashi ran a hand through his hair, feeling a little awkward himself. He never felt so vulnerable for years and he would have never expected to feel such a way to Haruno Sakura of all people. If someone told him he'd be sitting in her apartment, spouting nonsense just to save their obliterating friendship, he would've laughed in their face.

"Kakashi, why are you doing this?" Sakura portrayed the look of an exhausted soul. She was tired of these games that men always played with her. Why can't she be just a normal girl who falls in love with a boy her own age, who doesn't have a sharingan, who is sensitive and appreciates her for who she was, who doesn't kiss you senseless and then apologizes right after. Of course a fairy tale romance doesn't exist, but it wouldn't hurt for a girl like her to dream once in a while.

When she received no answer from him, she dejectedly continued what she was doing and returned the medical kit back to its cabinet in the bathroom. She couldn't face him just yet and tried to pull herself together while counting to ten. Done, she returned to the kitchen and found him still sitting by the low table, gazing afar.

"Um… you're not leaving yet?"

Kakashi didn't know why his legs refused to move so he could get up. "No." Then something hit him, which brought an odd look on his face, "Are you expecting someone?"

Sakura looked uncomfortable and started scratching her cheek idly, "Sort of…"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed, "Is it someone I have to skin alive?"

Sakura looked horrified, "Don't say things like that!" she looked away and mumbled, "He's you're friend…"

That however, made Kakashi stand up and approach the suddenly, nervous girl. "It's not Genma, is it?"

"… yes." Her voice sounded so small.

"Don't go out with him."

Sakura would've found his warning endearing if he wasn't such a jerk a few minutes ago, "Why not?" she cocked an eyebrow, "You can't tell me what to do." Which was true since both weren't related and… clearly NOT intimately involved with each other.

Kakashi still looked deadly serious. His hands twitched, aching to touch her shoulders and shake her until she realized that what she was about to do was irrational and stupid. Genma was his friend, and like any other ninja, he doesn't believe in love and relationship. He had to admit, he himself shared the same sentiment. That's why all these years, he as much as possible tried not to have any relationship with women because unlike Genma, he doesn't enjoy breaking a woman's heart.

"I'm not telling you what to do. I'm giving you advice."

"Well, I don't need it." She turned away and started preparing some tea and when she came back, Kakashi was gone.

* * *

Eventually, her date with Genma was cancelled due to the fierce storm that visited the village that afternoon. Here she was, stuck in the ER, waiting tolerantly for patients who were probably affected by the downpour. Sakura sighed loudly for the nth time that day, staring longingly outside the hospital premises. This day was probably one of those days when you just wanted to bang your head on the nearest wall and wail like an old woman. In short, she was having a bad day.

"Haruno-san, are you alright?" Ruriko was one of the interns assigned in the ER and she was sitting next to Sakura, unfortunately.

Sakura wasn't sure if she could even feign politeness to the girl who probably radiates happiness. It was obvious that Ruriko was out of place with the rest of the ER team sulking at the awful weather. "I feel _fantastic_." She sourly griped and sent the other intern a dirty look before she stood up and walked away, away from people who gave her headaches. Sheesh, someone needs Tylenol.

And then as if it was on cue, the doors opened and three patients were immediately admitted. Sakura jumped on her feet and went to the nearest stretcher. Dr. Misato was already asking questions to the paramedics. Her patient was a five weeks pregnant woman who was unfortunately squashed by a fallen tree trunk struck by lightning. "Alright, I want her immediately hooked with D5LR, Haruno. Also schedule her for TVS and please page the resident obstetrician STAT!" And from there, her day whirled tragically. The patients kept coming until they ran out of beds. It was _fantastic_ indeed. She knew she should just _shut_ her sarcastic mouth and _wash_ it thoroughly right when she gets home.

She knew something was off the moment she entered her apartment. She flicked the lights on and there by the window stood Kakashi, his back turned towards her. Surprisingly, the fact that Kakashi just entered her apartment without her permission didn't shock her. It was as if it was just normal seeing him there. She threw her keys on the table and took off her coat, "You know I should accuse you of trespassing." Sakura walked around the couch and stood behind him, arms crossed.

"You wouldn't." Kakashi threw a sidelong glance at her.

"Is that a challenge?" Sakura amended her surprise with a tiny frown.

"I'm not here to start a fight." He finally turned and faced her.

They stood in silence for a while. "Then why are you here?" she said at last. When Kakashi kept his silence, Sakura started to lose patience and snarled, "Honestly, Kakashi, I don't know what you want from me!" The angry words hung in the air between them and Kakashi's eyes were shocked. "I-I mean, you were nice to me, you kissed me, you touched me and then said that we should forget about it. And when I was desperately _trying_ to do so, you kissed me again!" Sakura shifted slightly, pointedly, making Kakashi feel her displeasure. "What do you want from me?"

"I don't know." He said firmly. Kakashi honestly couldn't explain anything to her. That night he kissed her, it just all fell into place. She looked beautiful, she smelled wonderful, and those evocative green eyes haunted him non-stop since he learned to gaze longingly at them. The reason why he came here was to get the answers to the same questions bothering her. He felt guilty for letting that incident happen. He was older, he used to be her teacher and he should've known better!

Still ashen-faced but looking very angry, she stepped closer, "Why did you kiss me?"

Kakashi felt like an interrogated criminal, "Sakura," he said evasively. He would've answered it if only he had the answer. He was clueless as it is and Sakura was making it so much harder for him.

"You're skirting around the issue we _can't_ possibly forget…" Sakura flared.

Kakashi's eyes hardened, "It was inappropriate."

"Why?"

"Sakura, I'm your teacher."

"Not anymore."

"I'm older."

"I'm legal."

"Why can't we just forget about it?"

"Because you know we _can't_!" Sakura closed her eyes briefly and sighed heavily. She slowly looked up at him and met his dark, contemplating eye. There was something in his mind and she could tell he's arguing to himself why he even dared to step in her apartment again.

Kakashi opened his mouth to explain himself but nothing came out. He was a man who used to have eloquence. But standing before this woman stripped him of his wit. He couldn't understand why defending himself from this issue was so difficult if he knew the intimacy they shared was a mistake. Why can't he just tell her that it was just lust that he felt that night? Why can't he just tell her that he was not ready and didn't want any form of relationship? Why can't he just push her away? _Because you know it wasn't just lust. You felt something more and it scares you._

Sakura turned away and gave up. She took the few steps separating the small living room to the kitchen and started ransacking the cupboards. Kakashi watched her move around and found himself walking towards the counter. "What are you doing?" Weren't they just arguing a minute ago?

"You're not ready to tell me anything yet, Kakashi. I'm not pushing you." She threw him a quick glance before she started making dinner, "You're staying here, right? You can't possibly go out in that storm."

It never ceased to amaze him how she could shift from one emotion to another. Actually, he was glad for it because he had no idea how he could end that awkward conversation.

Sakura faced Kakashi with a pot nestled against her waist as she asked, "So, what do you want for dinner?"

* * *

It was odd how often they see each other without meaning to. The morning was damp and it pissed the hell out of a certain pink-haired medic whose sandals kept on splashing mud on the back of her legs. So she ditched the main road and jumped from one tree to another. And that's when she found the Hyuuga prodigy lounging. Their eyes met and Sakura knew she had to stop and pester Mr. Prim and Proper. "How did the Yui-no go?" Sakura sat next down to Neji who was silently watching the sunrise on a tree branch. She found him sitting alone and decided that this was her opportunity to ask what occurred in the prestigious Yui-no in the Hyuuga Main House.

"It came out well." His answer was clipped, "Hinata wanted to see you before the wedding."

"She'll probably ask why I cancelled all our lunch dates."

"No, I think she just wanted to give you the invitation herself."

Sakura dryly laughed, "What kind of a friend am I? I didn't even know she was getting married…"

"You had your own problems to deal with. We understand." Neji offered her a reassuring smile.

"I feel horrible."

"Sakura… how are you?" Neji solemnly asked as his eyes followed the sun's ascent in the horizon. All he was aware of was Sakura's problems with Sasuke. Neither did he know that Kakashi came into the picture and stole Sasuke's spotlight.

"I'm fine." She told him a little too lively, "I got a wonderful job, a wonderful apartment, an awesome life… what more could I ask for?"

"You were never a good liar." He told her bluntly.

Sakura's fake cheerfulness dropped, leaving an indescribable sour look on her face. "You don't think I deserve a good life?"

"No, I'm weighing what you just said with what Naruto told me."

"Naruto?"

"The guy's not an idiot, Sakura. He has eyes and he could see everything without you telling him." He turned to her and smiled a little, "Don't pretend everything's fine." The girl was stunned, Neji silently observed. She was looking at him as if he had just grown two heads.

When she noticed him staring at her, she willingly looked away, trying to mask the evidence of her shock. "What did he tell you?" Now she was downright curious. It never occurred to her that Naruto was already suspecting something. She thought his random question of whether or not she and Kakashi are romantically together was just his way of ruining her off.

"I've been on the receiving end of a tattletale, but I'm not telling you what I've heard since that would make me… _like_ Naruto." He inwardly shuddered.

Sakura, as always, ignored Neji's impenetrable philosophical ideas and asked in a dead-panned voice, "Let me guess, he told you about Kakashi and I having a possible affair."

"Is it true?"

Sakura didn't know if she should explain herself to him when she herself couldn't figure out what's happening between her and her former teacher. "We have a healthy relationship." She answered with a shrug.

Neji cocked an eyebrow, "Care to elaborate?" His porcelain eyes looked sharp and suspicious.

She sighed, "We're friends. We…eherm, kissed once or twice. I just gave him a spare key to my apartment so he would use the door to enter like any other normal person… He comes to me for medical purposes and then we end up fighting, if not making-out." The latter part made her blush and hot. She couldn't help the images of Kakashi kissing her flash through her mind. As embarrassing as it was, Sakura just couldn't keep her mouth shut and ended up telling Neji things that he shouldn't know… or at least Naruto should know first since the blond was practically attached to her hip. She suddenly felt guilty and wished that Neji's true to his word about him just acting as the receiving end of a _gossip_… or in this case, Sakura's secret and will not share it to anyone unless he wished an early, painful death.

"That's not healthy," Neji simply said, letting it sound like a general fact. He never thought it was this serious… or that Naruto's assumptions were true.

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Are there feelings involved?"

"… I'm not sure."

"Do you like him?"

"I guess," she answered with a careless shrug. "Yeah."

"Do you love him?"

"… I don't know." Sakura was still confused whether she really felt that deep for Kakashi. She couldn't be in love with him so fast, could she? Was that even possible?

"Does he reciprocate your—"

"No, I don't think so." Her answer was quick and adamant. After her numerous attempts of extracting answers from Kakashi, she realized that probably unlike her, Kakashi's not making a big deal out of it. His intentions were to apologize and remedy their damaged friendship. Maybe she was the only fool affected by this attraction. Maybe she was just imagining things.

"You should stop… whatever you're doing."

"If I can, I would."

"Sakura, do you know the consequences of your actions?" Sakura didn't answer him and the question ended up rhetorical, "Don't you think you're just using him because you're still recovering from—"

"Are you insinuating that I'm rebounding from my relationship with Sasuke?"

"Well, that's how I see it."

"That's not true!" Sakura angrily retaliated. She couldn't believe how close-minded Neji was. "I'm over Sasuke. This thing with Kakashi… honestly I have no idea what I have with him. And he's not making it easier for me because he's avoiding the issue." She vehemently spat.

Neji didn't mean to anger her. But it was clear that he already had invoked negative reactions from the girl and so he chose not to add insult to injury by accusing her.

For a little while they gazed at the sky, each lost in their own thoughts and pretending not to ponder further into their conversation.

Finally, Sakura broke the silence by stretching her arms and standing up. "I have to go to work. It was nice talking to you, Neji." Her morning was ruined and the tight-clipped tone on her voice was evidence, "I'll see you around."

"Don't hurt yourself." They both knew they weren't talking about Sakura's safety by jumping to the next tree.

Sakura looked at him with his back facing her. The sun had already risen and she could tell Neji was about to leave himself, "Sure." With an unsure nod, she went off and headed to the hospital with a heavy heart.

**TBC**

* * *

**AN: **I know a lot of you want to know what I was thinking about the whole NejiHinata thing. But since this is the world of FICTION, I guess not all rules may apply... I think there's a possibility, especially from those families who're still practicing the old traditions to have incestuous marriage in order to preserve their bloodline. I heard that this occurs in so many asian countries, such as China, so I guess the whole idea of Neji marrying Hinata doesn't sound so bad. (And not to mention that I actually like this pairing, being the shameless bastard that I was.) I'm hoping that you'll give this couple a chance and not react so negatively about them.

Oh, and I'm sorry for cancelling Genma and Sakura's date, I'll get to that sooner or later.

Anyway, with that said, I'd like to thank everyone for reviewing. 350 reviews... wow. I feel so loved, thank you! I hope you'll like this chapter as well and I'll be looking forward to reading your reviews. Again, thank you very much! Mwah!**  
**


	14. A frequent customer

-x-

**Fourteen**

-x-

It's been a week since they started this ritual. Kakashi would always seek her company whenever he comes back from a mission.

So there he was, in Sakura's living room, sitting on her comfortable couch while the medic observed his tearing eye. Sakura removed the ophthalmoscope and placed it to the coffee table. "From a pain scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest, rate your eye pain."

"Six." He answered truthfully. His eye had been bugging him since his last mission in Otogakure. He knew he should've listened to her when she said he should use his eye cautiously.

Sakura nodded, "Is your vision blurring?"

"Not so often."

"Do you see halos around white lights?"

"Not really."

"Do you experience concurrent headaches?"

"Yes."

Sakura listed everything in her clipboard since she will definitely send this directly to the hospital. It seemed Kakashi's Sharingan, needed to be observed further by an ophthalmologist. "Your eye seems to be developing Glaucoma. If not treated immediately, it may damage your optic nerve, which can result to blindness. I suggest that you see a doctor immediately."

"That's what I'm already doing." He said, referring to her.

"Kakashi, the only thing I can provide you is temporary comfort. The rest will be done in the hospital where the equipments are _complete_." She then dropped her clipboard and beckoned Kakashi to come closer. Kakashi leaned in as she reached out and cupped his eye. He felt soothing coolness run from her hand then to his eye. He figured it was her chakra. The way it flowed through him was soothing and instantly remedied the pain in his eye. When she was done, she leant back and observed his eye once more. It didn't look as irritated as before and the tearing finally stopped.

Kakashi blinked his other eye and asked, "What was that?"

Sakura smiled, "It's a healing jutsu where I sub-froze your eye so the holes would heal close and lessen the inflammation until you reach the hospital. Felt great, huh?"

"Yeah, why can't you just do that again so I wouldn't have to go to the hospital?"

"Nice try." She scowled at him half-heartedly. "But NO."

She stood up and cleaned her things, "Come on, I'm taking you to the hospital."

"No, I'm not going—" When Kakashi saw the look of danger on Sakura's face, he quickly back-tracked, "_today_. If it still bothers me tomorrow, than I'll go to the hospital… I promise."

Sakura just rolled her eyes and dropped on the couch next to him. She couldn't understand how she could still put up with him. This weird relationship had gone too far and the two kept on toeing around the issue. They never talked about it and decided that it was better if none of them mentioned it as long as their friendship was still intact. The fear of having no excuse to see each other again and eventually end up not talking to each other scared both parties. And so, Sakura tolerated it even if she was upset and Kakashi kept persistent, even if he thought it was tiresome, all for the sake of being near each other.

After telling Neji more than what he should know, Sakura ought to tell Naruto, her original best buddy as well just to be fair. Naruto called Sakura stupid and spouted a string of cursed words at Kakashi for acting immature over the situation.

"_Why can't you just tell him you love him?" Naruto asked, "Don't deny it."_

_Sakura gagged on her tea and almost fell out of her chair in the small teahouse, nearly sending a tray of condiments tumbling to the ground._

_That was it, Sakura thought. She was busted. Now she had to make a choice; it's either she gives him the showbiz answer or the truth. Sakura chose the showbiz answer. Naruto laughed out-loud. Literally._

"_Cut the crap, Sakura-chan!"_

_Sakura scowled, "I'm not in love with him!" Right._

"_Do it like bunnies and get it over with." Naruto said it like it was the most natural thing in the world._

_With a furious growl and a sinister gleam in her eyes, Sakura snatched the closest thing she could find (which happened to be a salt shaker) and hurled it at Naruto's head. "Wanna die??" She couldn't stop herself from blushing. No one could tell if it was because she was embarrassed or she just wanted to give Naruto a bloody nose._

_Naruto didn't take her threat seriously and waved a dismissing hand. "Who are you kidding? I know you, Sakura. And I know that it's not just a simple crush."_

Naruto's words disturbed her until she got home and found Kakashi waiting patiently in the living room, complaining about his eye.

And now she was sitting here silently with the burden of her thoughts, contemplating whether Naruto was right or wrong. Was she really in love with this man? Was a simple crush turned into something deeper that she almost couldn't control herself from wishing to be with Kakashi as long as the faiths would allow?

It didn't take a minute before she realized she was staring at him and that he was returning her absent gaze. She swallowed, suddenly, her throat feeling oddly restricted.

"I'm tired." She told him.

"So am I." Kakashi replied in the same solemn manner.

And just like that, the rest of the day went glum.

* * *

Kakashi never liked the rainy days. So when the month of downpour ended and spring came back, he should be invigorated at the sight of flowers blooming and birds chirping. But despite the change in weather, Kakashi remained cold and obviously forlorn. He lied idly on his bed, counting the not too many dents up on the ceiling, wondering if there's any productive thing he could do. He came up with nothing and ended up counting the dents again. Tsunade gave him a weekend break after realizing that he's wearing himself out again by taking missions non-stop.

His eye was bugging him again, but he didn't go to the hospital to have someone check it out. There was something within him telling him that he should pay Sakura a visit and seek her aid again. But he knew she would just refuse and kick him out of her apartment… in the most degrading painful manner.

After taking adequate rest, Kakashi went back to work. This time, he decided to teach again. The three kids were nothing like his previous students. They were annoying of course, but he didn't see any potential. Yes, these kids may become one of the most talented ninjas of their generation, but unlike Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura, his students acted way too mature for their actual age. It's as if they're actually reading notes before executing skills, which Kakashi found annoying. He wanted spontaneity, which his students lacked. He tried talking them out of it, even dared them to burn all the ninja books and scrolls that ever existed, but nothing deterred his student's exaggerated studying habits.

"How can you sit there and read junk when you can teach us and be useful?" Chisa, one of the two girls under his tutelage questioned irritatingly. Her brown hair bounced from her foot tapping as her eyes promised to send Kakashi to oblivion.

Kakashi simply looked at her beyond the top of his Icha Icha paradise and said, "Because I'm a horrible person, now scoot." And then he went back to reading, ignoring the girl's frustration.

"He's mean." Seiki, the only boy and sadly, the meekest one in the bunch muttered disappointedly.

"I think I know why he's acting this way." Keiko, the dark haired whiz kid who loves outsmarting everyone, especially Kakashi, thoughtfully placed her fingers under her chin, "My sister usually behaves this way when someone dumped her… Maybe someone dumped Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi's ear twitched behind his book but decided to ignore their innocent conversation.

Chisa cocked her head to the side just to be malicious, "Or maybe he's lacking in that department."

Now both of Kakashi's ears perked and twitched.

"What do you mean?" Keiko asked.

Seiki's mouth formed into a small 'o', "Are you saying that Kakashi-sensei's cranky because he's lonely?"

"Gah! **THAT'S IT**!" Both girls pointed at the boy and screamed triumphantly.

Kakashi fell off the branch he was sitting on and ended up on his butt with his not-so-innocent students trying not to laugh in his face. He stood up too quickly and felt something tear in his lower back, which quickly registered in the depths of his mind, that it was indeed painful and that he needed a doctor ASAP.

The three children looked at him with uncertainty and a little guilty after hearing something odd when the older jounin stood up.

"You want some training? Fine then, 30 laps, 100 push-ups and sit-ups. You'd better be happy when I get back." And then he was gone in a whirl of dust and leaves.

* * *

It was a fine Tuesday morning when Sakura went to the hospital for her 48 hours of duty. Today she was assigned on the 4th floor ward, where the patients ranged from moderate to terminally ill patients.

"Good morning, Haruno-sensei." One of the nurses greeted her amiably.

"Good morning, Amano-kun." Sakura politely smiled back.

"Interesting morning, I tell you." Amano chuckled deeply while finishing the last of all the charts lined up for endorsement.

Sakura frowned, "What makes you say that?"

Amano winked at her and shortly said, "You'll see."

Sakura didn't have the opportunity to ask further as the resident doctor came in, making all the interns follow him like a chick to a hen.

"Haruno, you're up." Seicho Atami, a 45 year old orthopaedist with greying hair and beetle like eyes, beckoned the wary pink-haired intern and the two head straight to the west wing. He was known to be the control-freak surgeon who loves throwing out of the blue questions at the poor, gullible interns. Unfortunately, Haruno Sakura was neither poor nor was she gullible. The fifth honed her skills to be the most witty and cunning intern of her generation. Even her resident knew that Sakura was one tough chick to deal with. She can kick balls, literally.

"Who's our patient?" Atami narrowed his gaze at her, patiently watching for her to snap out and whimper in fear. Surprisingly, Sakura did none of this.

Well, he did notice something that cracked Sakura's poker face. And it was way more amusing than he expected.

Sakura was stunned when she opened the chart and found the name of the patient. _Oh, you have got to be kidding me._ She knew circumstances like this would come sooner or later. But she wasn't expecting he'd be her ortho patient. She was most likely expecting to see him in the Ophthalmology section.

"Well?" Atami cleared his throat, effectively bringing Sakura out of her thoughts.

"Err, um," Sakura scanned the chart and said, "Hatake, Kakashi, Male, 33 years old, admitted today 10:14 am, with chief complaint of acute low back pain." She followed the doctor as he unceremoniously opened the door of the patient's room and went in without preamble.

Kakashi looked up from his book and acknowledged them with a blank stare. Not until he noticed Sakura warily standing behind her senior. "Good morning, Hatake-san. I'm Seicho Atami, resident orthopaedist and this is my intern, Haruno Sakura. She will be your doctor for today." He took the chart out of Sakura's hands and started scribbling. Sakura silently withdraw and looked away after realizing that Kakashi's stare was focused on her.

"The drug provided temporary relief, I believe." Kakashi answered automatically without removing his eyes away from her. He finally looked at the older medic and asked, "What's wrong with my back?"

Atami threw Sakura an encouraging look and said, "Why don't you show off a little bit and explain to Hatake-san what's wrong with his back, Haruno-san." Then he went back to scribbling, leaving Sakura under the spotlight.

Sakura felt a little speechless at first and then nervously looked at Kakashi before clearing her throat. "Well, Hatake-san," it felt odd calling him formally, "Your spinal column can be considered as an elastic rod constructed of rigid units called vertebrae and flexible units, which are your intervertebral disks, held together by complex facet joints, multiple ligaments and paravertebral muscles." She tried looking at the white, pristine wall behind Kakashi's head and went on, "What happened is, your ligaments was traumatized since it absorbed the shock due to physical exertion, causing unbearable pain to radiate from your back then encircling to your hips. But I assure you that there is no severe procedure that must be done to relieve your back pain. We can easily relieve that through chakra therapy, acupuncture or surgery, depending on the severity of the damage." When that was done, Atami started examining Kakashi. The older jounin sat silently as he allowed the grey-haired medic to fuss over him. His attention however was settled on the silent pink-haired medic who still refused to meet his eyes.

Atami was done and continued scribbling before handing the chart back in Sakura's hands. "I want you to do acupuncture STAT. I'm expecting an excellent result, Haruno-san. I heard you were taught by the fifth herself."

Sakura smiled in gratitude and watched her senior stroll out of the room. When he was gone, Sakura felt awkward standing inside the room with Kakashi.

"You know, for someone who hates hospitals, you're a frequent costumer." Sakura said with a weird smile that was crossed between relief and discomfort. It brought a strange sense of déjà vu.

There was a slight frown on Kakashi's face, "Is he serious?" Sakura wasn't expecting that question and stared baffled at the older jounin. "I refuse acupuncture or any form of therapy that requires things puncturing my skin."

"Well unless you want your back to keep bothering you for the rest of the day, then be my guest." When at work, Sakura tried her best not to act upon impulse and perform her duty professionally. She had had enough of Yoshino-sensei's insults and would do her best so the cruel doctor wouldn't have any reason to degrade her.

"That chakra therapy sounds fine."

"Atami-sensei read your x-ray results and thought that the best intervention is acupuncture. And besides," Sakura shrugged her shoulders, "Chakra therapy would only _relieve_ the pain temporarily."

Kakashi couldn't tell if Sakura was trying to tease him or not. There was a look of mischief that she couldn't possibly mask underneath his scrutinizing stare. "If I didn't know you better, I'd say you're enjoying this."

Sakura shot her eyebrows high, "Might as well elaborate on that one, Hatake-san. I can't possibly fathom what you're talking about." She went to steeple her chin between her fingers, feigning innocence.

As much as Kakashi wanted to jump out of bed and kiss this insanely, sarcastic young woman so she could forget her eloquence, he couldn't since the pain in his lower back was something that could not be ignored. He had enough for one day. "No, I'd rather not."

Sakura was slightly disappointed that he backed away so easily from a possible argument. With a shrug of her shoulders, she finally scribbled one last thing in her chart and said, "Well, I'll be seeing you after lunch for your acupuncture." She didn't bother to hear any response from him and started towards the door.

"Were you really tired?"

Sakura's hand hovered still above the steel doorknob. She eventually got the feeling that this had something to do with her and her anomalous relationship with her former teacher. "What do you mean?"

"Were you really tired of waiting for me?" Kakashi held his gaze forward while Sakura tried her best not to look over her shoulder.

She briefly closed her eyes and opened them gradually. "I thought I was… but I guess," She left it at that before throwing the ball back to his court. "What about you, Kakashi? Were you really tired of _me_?"

"Never." When Sakura remained silent, he went on. "I'm tired of being… me. Does that make any sense?"

Somehow, that brought a small smile to her face. "It did to me." And with that, she went out of the room, leaving Kakashi contemplating on his own thoughts.

Kakashi was a man who never liked rain showers. And since the dark clouds were gone and the sun finally made its appearance, he should learn to appreciate it while it lasts. Life is a temporary assignment, so why waste the remaining span of it? He once thought that letting your guard down would eventually end any chances of surviving the cruel reality. Yet one particular woman dared him to ignore the rules for once and actually indulge in the privileges of what mattered most. In this case, actual intimacy.

He didn't know when or how it started. He knew deep inside, he felt so much more than he let on. The only problem was, he refuse to show any form of weakness, and out of the most unfortunate things, he considered love to be something akin to defeat. If he was willing to take the risk, he might as well prepare himself for the possible conditions accompanying such fickle emotion.

They say the best expression of love was time. The importance of things can be measured by how much time you are willing to invest in them. The more time you give to something, the more you reveal its importance and value to you.

Hatake Kakashi's mind was set.

He was willing to take the risk…

… Because Haruno Sakura was worth the risk.

* * *

The next day, he woke up to the sound of the door closing. The person he had been looking for yesterday strode across the room, clipboard in hand.

"Good morning, Hatake-san." Sakura looked exactly like a person who was forced out of bed. He glanced briefly at the time and read 8:15.

"Drop the formalities." He tiredly reprimanded. He himself didn't get much sleep.

"I'm not dropping anything while at work." Sakura glared death at him when he perceived the unintended innuendo.

Kakashi coughed and broke their eye contact. "When will I be discharged?"

Sakura frowned at the offhandedness of his tone, "We're still monitoring the progress of your treatment. You've still got a day or two."

"Can't I get out of here a little earlier?"

"Why?"

"I may not appear like a VIP, but the Hyuuga clan invited me to their wedding ceremony tomorrow."

"Well, you have a valid excuse to not attend the ceremony."

"So I'll be stuck here while the rest of the world witnesses a once in a lifetime moment?"

"You mean an incestuous marriage?"

"That was brutally put into words, but yes."

There was a look of disgust on Sakura's face with her arms in akimbo. "Impossible." Her eyes softened at his pathetic excuse and slowly approached the bed. "Now I understand why your students chose to be a nuisance instead of being productive."

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow.

"Because your perversion just reached its highest peak." She smiled as she continued to degrade him, "You shouldn't teach children, Kakashi. You can be a bad influence."

"Thanks for trusting me. That means a lot…"

Sakura scoffed and sat on the bed, looking a little worried, "I… I did well with the acupuncture, didn't I? I mean, you felt less pain during the procedure…" She did not only try to impress the attending physician by showing off her outstanding skills but also to reassure Kakashi that he's safe under her care. She wouldn't do anything that would endanger him. That's why when Kakashi voiced doubts about the procedure, she felt a little hurt at the fact that Kakashi didn't trust her. So when the acupuncture was done and Kakashi reported no progress of pain in his mid-back, relief washed over her.

Kakashi admired how Sakura could still look beautiful even with a worried frown on her face. "You did well. Thank you." His hand unconsciously lifted and caressed her cheek.

Sakura's cheeks burned at the contact but did not pull away. Her eyes were glued to the indescribable look on Kakashi's face as he touched her so intimately. Butterflies exploded in her stomach as the warmth of his hand radiated through her entire skin. They stared at each other and she willingly decided to break it. She closed her eyes, reliving that particular incident in his bed when their lips first touched. His thumb grazed her lips, making Sakura shivered from the contact. It was a wonder how a simple touch could make her feel like she was standing on a precipice, pushing her to the edge.

All he wanted was to pull her close and kiss her senseless. And that's what exactly Sakura expected he would do, until he released his hold and pulled away.

Her eyes opened quickly, a frown marring her face.

"I can't keep doing this to you…" Kakashi told her, his gaze stretched afar.

Sakura's eyes dropped on the bedspread. Kakashi had a point. They had been dancing around each other for far too long without any idea of what they really want from each other. "I know." Her eyes closed briefly as she opened them, she found Kakashi looking at her strangely.

"We can't keep seeing each other."

Sakura frowned, "Why?"

"We have to think this through." He reached out and held her hand. Warmth immediately tingled Sakura's skin and she started blushing, "And I can't think straight when you're around." He wasn't lying when he said that. Sakura's presence makes him want to forget the rules for once and have his way with her, in the hospital.

Sakura nodded in understanding, "So, you want me to refer you to another intern?"

"If possible, yes."

Sakura looked at him for a little longer before getting up from the bed, "I hope you know what you're doing…"

Kakashi appeared cocky when his lips beneath his mask lifted slightly, "Trust me."

Again, Sakura couldn't find the strength to deny him.

**TBC**

* * *

**AN: **This past few weeks wore me out... school work caught up on me. My life suddenly revolved between school and getting a decent sleep. But thank god our preliminary case presentation was over... now on with our upcoming FINAL exams. So stressful!!! I guess I won't be updating for awhile. Gomen!

How's the chapter by the way?

Need reviews... show your love by **leaving a comment**! Thank you so much!


	15. Fin

-x-

**Fifteen**

**(The Last Chapter) **

-x-

"Thank you, Sakura-chan, for coming with me." Hinata had a hint of blush on her face as she patiently waited for the dresser to finish tying her obi. That afternoon, she called Sakura to accompany her to the dress shop to purchase her wedding kimono. She was glad when Sakura accepted the invitation and went to meet her at a small teahouse. Ever since Sakura was assigned to her D-rank mission, _a.k.a._**Babysitting Kakashi**, they hadn't found the right opportunity to see each other, thus Hinata failed to tell Sakura that she was getting married. She couldn't imagine the relief she felt when Neji told her that he had already informed Sakura about the wedding. After all, she was her only remaining girl friend as of now. Ever since Ino and Sakura fought, Hinata made it a point not to speak with Ino either. And then when she unintentionally stole Tenten's boyfriend, the brunette gave Hinata a restraining order. All this cruel treatment did not help her predicament and she eventually suffered depression. She was thankful that Neji was strong enough for the both of them. She couldn't thank him enough for being there when nobody was willing to offer their shoulder for her to cry on.

Sakura shook her head while silently admiring how beautiful Hinata looked in her white kimono, "It's nothing… actually, I should be apologizing to you Hinata-chan."

Hinata's eyes blinked slowly and gazed curiously at her through the huge mirrors before her. "What for?"

The medic smiled apologetically, "If it weren't for Neji, I would've never known you were getting married… I figured that you really need a friend's support after learning that you're marrying your…" Sakura immediately shut her mouth and warily watched Hinata through her reflection as well. Had she gone too far? She couldn't tell. There was not a spot of anger on her face, which knowing Hinata, wasn't so surprising.

The young meek woman laughed softly and looked away, uncomfortably, "Well, it came as a surprise to us as well… I mean, we're cousins… we're not supposed to marry, that's incestuous." she mumbled ashamedly while brushing her long hair behind her back.

Sakura's eyes softened, "But not in your clan's point of view."

Hinata sighed, "I guess Neji-nii-sama explained it to you already."

Sakura nodded, and then looked away, "Believe me, I understand your situation more than you let on…" she didn't mean to say anything further but the words just rushed out of her mouth. She quickly averted the subject since she knew this conversation would eventually turn to her life issues instead. "So… how are you and Neji taking all of this?" She was obviously pointing about the marriage and the mess it created.

Hinata didn't need any encouragement to smile, "It started quite difficult but it's progressing quite well, um, despite all of the issues. Neji-nii-sama took great care of me and assured me through… the toughest times." There was it again, that same flicker of guilt whenever she mentioned anything concerning her impromptu marriage with Neji. Who wouldn't?

The tailor left to grab a few more things down stairs, leaving both girls in the dressing room. Finally left alone, Sakura found the courage to prod a little further. "You mean when you found out that you're marrying your cousin?" Sakura didn't mean to talk so blunt but the words just rushed out of her mouth automatically. "I can only imagine how Kiba and Tenten handled the news…" She knew Hinata was finally dating Kiba only a few months ago and was utterly happy for them. It must've crushed Kiba when he learned that his girlfriend was marrying her cousin under her clan's authority. It was depressing that Neji and Hinata were controlled like lifeless puppets. It was a shame that those two will have a difficult time finding happiness. Or so she thought.

Hinata's forced smile dropped as her hands absently smoothed the fabric of her pristine kimono. "Please, Sakura-chan…" She wasn't really sure what she was begging for.

"I'm sorry," Sakura cursed her big mouth, feeling rueful at her unexpected straightforwardness. "I… It's not my place to say such things." She dipped her head low, trying to show how remorseful she really was.

Hinata was such a kind-hearted human being because out of the goodness of her heart, she actually forgave Sakura's tactless tongue. "No, don't apologize! You're my friend … and friends tell each other almost everything. I am not mad at the way you address the situation because I can very well understand how you feel about this…"

Sakura stood up and approached the shaking girl. She held her hand and was surprised to find it cold and clammy. Had she been really that anxious? "You can tell me anything, Hinata-chan." Sakura reassured as comfortingly squeezed her hand and was glad when she squeezed back.

Hinata briefly closed her eyes, took a deep breath and as she opened her eyes, she smiled at Sakura and pulled her friend in a tight embrace. "Thank you so much, Sakura-chan. That's all I needed to hear." And just then, the tailor came back and resumed fixing her kimono. When everything was done, Hinata stood upright wearing her **(1)** shiro maku.

For someone who had her marriage arranged, Hinata looked absolutely blissful. Sakura couldn't help but to admire the radiance of the bride-to-be she cared about and actually found herself smiling widely. Despite the circumstances, she was truly happy for Neji and Hinata. With that thought, Sakura intently observed the way Hinata timidly admired herself in the mirror.

"Are you happy, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata's eyes widened and then gradually faced Sakura. There was a weird look in her eyes that told Sakura that indeed, Hyuuga Hinata wanted this wedding and that yes, she was happy to marry Hyuuga Neji.

* * *

She woke up on the wrong side of the bed today and that automatically assured her that the third Tuesday of the month would be one of her many worst days. 

"Haruno-sensei!"

Sakura looked up from the patient chart she was reading and briefly glanced at the nurse who addressed her. "What is it?" Somehow, she didn't like how the nurse looked like she ran in a marathon.

"It's Hatake-san!" the nurse frantically pointed at his room down the hall, "He's gone!"

Sakura dropped the chart altogether along with her jaw, which was embarrassingly suspended in the air. The rest of the staff took action and went to fuss at Kakashi's room. Sakura quickly composed herself and ran into the room, only to find out that indeed, Kakashi was nowhere at sight. _That bastard!_

"Ah, damn." She ran a hand down her face in utter frustration. She quickly dismissed the idea of hunting him down and dragging him back to his hospital bed. If Kakashi doesn't want to be found, he will stay completely out of everyone's sight.

What would her residents say about this, especially Yoshino-sensei who basically found her annoying and loud? The possibility of the program dropping her was so high, that she doubted that there was any possible way to raise her diminishing dignity. Of course becoming a dropout would not suit Tsunade's standards, and she'll eventually have to endure her wrath the sooner she learns about it.

_That man will be the death of me…_

* * *

It was official. Hinata and Neji were no longer cousins. They're married… an actual couple. Woe is the ones who actually disapproved of this…, which was almost half of Konoha's population. After the wedding ceremony, everyone proceeded to the extravagant reception in the main house. Hinata wore her elaborate, rich silk kimono called uchikake over her white kimono and sat in the middle of the room beside a rather stern looking Neji. 

Everyone was there, except of course Tenten and Kiba who chose not to attend for obvious reasons. Sakura suddenly felt sad at the division of her closest girl friends. It felt like it was only yesterday when they used to hangout on the rooftop eating popsicles and watching random people, waiting for them to do stupid things so they could laugh at them. Naruto has always fallen as a victim on these occasions and hardly appreciated it at all.

The main hall wasn't overly crowded but Sakura felt nauseous at the sight of too many people moving around. She stood up, brushed her hands over her light pink kimono and quietly went outside. The garden was marvellous and so she decided to admire it all night long. Her peace however was interrupted when someone came out and intruded into her sanctuary.

She couldn't hide her surprise when her gaze landed on none other than the groom himself. Neji smiled a little at her and then sat next to her, his eyes solemnly watching the koi pond.

Sakura was holding her chest where her heart beat erratically as she glared accusingly at him. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" Neji absently returned a question.

"You always appear at the most inexplicable times." She rolled her eyes obnoxiously. "What are you doing out here anyway? Aren't you supposed to… _entertain_ the guests or something?"

"It's stifling." Neji simply retorted.

"Excuse me? Did I hear that correctly?" She mockingly cupped her ear. "Did prim and proper Neji-sama actually admit _boredom_??" Giving a fake gasp, she couldn't stop her lips from smiling wide. This was just too sweet.

"Stuff it." Neji pressed hard on his temples, "I thought coming here would clear my mind," Then he threw her a dirty glare. "I guess I would get none of that."

"Well, don't look at me, I was here _first_!"

Neji just shook his head and continued looking sullen.

Sakura frowned, "Why the long face, Neji? It's your wedding… aren't you happy?" Did she _really_ have to ask? Of course Neji was obviously not enjoying the ceremony. Who would be? He was forced to ditch his girlfriend and marry a woman who was supposed to be his first-degree cousin! How twisted was that? Not that Sakura disapproved of it or anything. It wasn't really her business, but after that shopping trip with Hinata, Sakura realized that not everything occurred because they were forced to do it. Neji had always been protective of Hinata and Hinata had always admired Neji since she was a child. It wouldn't be hard to believe that the two somehow could develop a deeper relationship than simply being related to each other. Or were her assumptions wrong? Was it possible that it was only Hinata who accepted the arrangement and not Neji? Was Neji still in love with Tenten? Was he appalled, marrying his cousin? "Neji… do you regret marrying Hinata?" Somehow, she predicted she'd feel disappointed if Neji said 'yes'. She couldn't bear the idea of a one sided relationship. Hinata doesn't deserve that.

He was silent for awhile, looking as if he planned to ignore Sakura's question. But then he answered, "No."

Sakura let out her breath she had been holding. "Then what's the problem?" Again, asking another stupid question, Sakura berated herself mentally. "Do you see Hinata as your wife now?" She knew she was skating on a very thin ice with Neji's temper. He was known not to tolerate personal questions, especially the ones that involved his personal life.

Surprisingly, Neji handled everything calmly, not to mention that he hadn't thrown her across the garden… yet… hopefully. "As disturbing as this sounds… yes, yes I do. She is my wife now. Mine." There was a streak of possessiveness that flashed across the pearl-white eyes as he said those words with subtle pride.

Sakura didn't bother to ask how he ended up liking Hinata that way and got straight to the point. "Are you upset because of how everyone's taking all of this?"

"I want to protect Hinata… but I doubt I can protect her from everyone's sharp tongue."

"Hinata's a Hyuuga. I doubt anyone would insult her."

"Not in front of her, no…"

"… You do have a point."

"She smiles a lot lately, and to me that's not good… not good at all." He muttered the latter while shaking his head.

Sakura once again frowned, "Why?"

"I know her like the back of my hand, Sakura. It's her defence mechanism…"

Again, Sakura was taken aback by Neji's perception. She was starting to see that indeed, he and Hinata were meant for each other.

Neji closed his eyes briefly. "It makes me sick seeing those people who will likely insult us to our backs. And I'm not only talking about the people outside our family."

Sakura knew that the main branch highly disapproved of Neji. It must've been hell hearing your own relatives slurring at you like you're a piece of trash. It dampened Sakura's mood all the more.

"I'm sorry." When she felt his eyes sharply glare at her, she quickly rectified. "What I mean is, I'm sorry that you have to be put through all of this. Just remember though that you're not alone, Neji. Hinata may seem frail, but she's willing to support you in any way she can." She smiled thoughtfully, "I kind of admire you guys, you know?"

Neji finally looked at Sakura with very subtle knowledge of what she was talking about. "Did you tell _him_how you feel?"

"Not yet."

"When are you planning to?"

Sakura sighed heavily. "When he's ready."

"When is that?" Pearl-like-eyes narrowed doubtfully. "It'll take you nowhere if none of you initiate something."

"I'm…" Sakura closed her eyes and shook her head with a bitter smile. "I'm afraid, Neji."

"Are you afraid of how other people will perceive your relationship?" It made him realize how similar their situations were and found himself empathizing with the girl's situation.

"That and…" Her eyes strayed, refusing to acknowledge the way Neji was looking at her. The least thing she needed was pity from someone who doesn't have a dandy life as well. "I don't think I can handle rejection."

"What makes you think he'll reject you?" This must've been the longest conversation Neji ever had. If he was not mistaken, he's disappeared from the banquet for almost fifteen minutes.

"He's not selfish… He's the type of guy who rarely indulges himself with luxury." Sakura chuckled sadly. "It makes me want to kick him so bad."

"He's an idiot." Neji's gaze flicked across the pond absentmindedly. "You may be clumsy at times…" He received a sharp jab in the ribs courtesy of the pink-haired medic and winced. "But I don't see any other reason why a person can not like you." His lips lifted in a nasty smirk. "Even if he's fourteen years your senior." Before Sakura could pummel him to the ground, he quickly stood up and fixed his yukata. "I'm going inside before Hiashi-sama drags me back in."

"You're just escaping, you cold nitwit!"

"Are you coming?" He called back to the woman who still remained sitting on the bench.

She shook her head, waving him off. "Maybe later." She still had a lot of things to think about.

"I thought he'd never leave." A familiar voice came through the darkness.

Sakura knew too well who owned that voice and stood up. Turning, she looked at the far end of the balcony and found Kakashi walking towards her.

She pursed her lips and crossed her arms against her chest as he approached. "The nerve of you to show your face after that outrageous stunt this morning…" she was still mad at his carelessness. He still had a few days stay in the hospital but the idiot had to shorten it and escape for the nth time.

Kakashi blinked and scratched his head, "I was serious when I told you I was invited."

"Don't pull that innocent act one me, you oaf. I was yelled at this morning and it was not very pleasant." She sneered nastily, although she was not that at all upset. Somehow, seeing Kakashi relived her from her worries. At least he could stand with his back straight.

He chuckled and stood beside her, both viewing the koi pond in silence.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long after _he_ came out."

"… then you—" her cheeks flushed out of embarrassment, "You heard our conversation!"

Kakashi nodded as if it's the most natural thing in the world.

"How dare—argh! Unbelievable…" she groaned, hoping that there was a hole she could crawl into so she could die. Desperate to change the subject, she quickly asked, "I thought we had an arrangement?"

"Hm?"

"That we're not going to see each other for awhile…"

"I didn't see you for a couple of days."

"I knew you would say that." She muttered with pursed lips and looked at him, "Did you really have to escape?"

"I don't like the intern who replaced you. She's too… clingy." Not that Kakashi didn't mind the attention the intern was showing him. He just wasn't in the mood and he only yearns for one woman at the moment, the one who is currently standing next to him.

"Ruriko? That girl likes you… _a lot_."

"Well, I'm not interested."

"Yeah, I can tell." She rolled her eyes in sarcasm, "She went screaming like a banshee to me, saying stuff like how 'great' you were and that you actually asked her to marry you."

"All I did was say 'hi'. I didn't know that was the newest form of marriage proposal…" Kakashi mused, still maintaining a good distance away from her.

Sakura shook her pink-head and glared at the older jounin, "Why are you here? People might see…"

"They're too busy talking about wealth and politics." He finally faced her, pulled down his mask and held her against him. "I have a few minutes to spare to have some private time with you."

Sakura fought not to blush but ended up looking like a tomato. Her eyes frantically went everywhere, her body turned rigid in the tight cage of his arms. "This is highly inappropriate!" she protested half-heartedly, feeling herself drowning slowly into the warmth of his embrace.

Kakashi buried his nose into her hair and took in the faint jasmine fragrance only Sakura possessed. Then he kissed her neck before whispering hotly against her ear, "I missed you." His voice made her putty in his hands and Sakura suddenly placed all her weight against him.

"You're so fickle, Kakashi." She bit back a moan when he started kissing his way down her neck, "I don't know what to do with you!" With all the strength she could muster, she pulled herself away from his chest and looked directly into Kakashi's dark eye. "I can't let you do this… not until you tell me what you want."

Kakashi was silent for a moment before sighing in defeat. His hand cupped her cheek and his thumb gently grazed her lip, "I want…" he swallowed hard, his breathing turned erratic and suddenly found it difficult to form a sentence, "I need…" the way she looked up at him, looking all confused and wanton didn't help much either. He closed his eyes tightly and shook his head, "Shit, I don't know what to say." He never appeared so helpless in his entire life and this upset him greatly. He wanted to be in control of the situation but something was hindering him from doing so.

"What do you want, Kakashi?" Sakura's eyes lowered, imploring for him to say or do something before she loses her mind.

"I want you, Sakura. God knows how much I want you… but I... it's morally wrong." He released her and turned his back against her. His hands held the cherry-wood balustrade so tight, his knuckles turned white. "There are so many things that kept me from wanting you. The age gap, you being my student and I as your former teacher… these are all negatively seen by the society. It's not my reputation that I'm worried about, it's you." He turned around and grabbed her shoulders, "I want to protect you, Sakura. This… whatever this is, is absolutely wrong! We can't be together."

"But you wanted it, didn't you?" Sakura felt her heart would burst out of her chest, "Why can't you set aside what everybody wants for once and listen to what _you_ want, huh?" she cupped his face between her hands, "I want you Kakashi and you want me. Isn't that enough?"

"You deserve someone better."

"Can't you see that I don't want anyone else? When you kissed me… everything felt… it felt different! When you touched me, I thought I finally belonged to someone… it took all of my worries away and I actually felt safe. You brought those feelings out of me… and I love it."

Overwhelmed, Kakashi couldn't keep himself from pulling her into a tight embrace, his cheek pressed against hers, "When I hold you like this, it brings me a strange peace…" He knew this was wrong. He was older and should've known better. But why couldn't he stop these feelings from stirring within him? Why couldn't he stop obsessing over a nineteen year-old girl? Why can't he stop caring for, Haruno Sakura?

For the past couple of days he realized how much he cared for the medic prodigy. He wanted to be with her, to relinquish this desire he had been holding for so long, it almost hurt. Just imagining her being with someone else, being touched by another man made his blood boil. The thought of Sakura being in another man's embrace makes him want to destroy something. He knew it was no more than just simple lust. He had never wanted a woman as much as he wanted Sakura. And the worst part is Sakura was fourteen years younger than him, making a relationship with her forbidden and looked down upon by society.

_He's so warm… _Sakura closed her eyes, hoping that this was not one of those annoying dreams that disturbed her in the middle of the night. She looped her arms around his neck, holding him in place as if a simple breeze would take him away. "Oh, Kakashi… Please, can't we at least try?" her voice fallen into a soft whisper against his ear.

Kakashi kissed her cheek and then the corner of her mouth. "I can't promise you anything."

"I'm tired of promises anyway." She ran her fingertips through the back of his hair in a soothing manner that ended up making Kakashi sigh softly.

"I just found out recently that I can't deny you anything." Kakashi smirked and it stunned Sakura how handsome he looked, with the moonlight bathing his breathtaking features. He was, by far, the most beautiful man she had ever seen.

Sakura felt her stomach flip-flop as her heart attempted to burst out of her chest. She couldn't understand these strange feelings that came over her. She never felt anything as intense as she was with this man. _I like him… I do want him… but do I love him?_ She highly doubted the notion of love since it was too early and that she couldn't possibly just love him because he makes her feel good. So she settled with the idea that this strong and mature man fascinated her and that she would give anything to be on the receiving end of his touch and passionate kisses.

She rose on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. She suddenly felt ashamed at her inexperience and was about to pull away before Kakashi grabbed the back of her head and tipped her head to the side to deepen the kiss.

She was breathless when he pulled away and she could tell her blushing face was identical to what Kakashi was sporting right now. She suddenly burst out laughing and threw her arms around him. Kakashi too found it quite amusing and smiled widely.

Who said fairy tale romance was real?

They may not be in love, but she knew this was the only thing that would keep them both sane.

**Owari **

* * *

**AN:**

**1) Japanese wedding gown**

**2) End Note: **Okay, this is the part where you dear readers will throw rocks at me (goes into hiding). I'm sorry if I made a very, very crappy ending... Honestly, this story was supposed to be short and it somehow ended up having fifteen chapters, which I considered quite long. I realized that I wasn't able to portray more on the development of Kakashi and Sakura's relationship and that I, once again, failed to deliver yet another mushy scene. Forgive my ineptness when it comes to these things... and for ending this story so quickly. no one expected it. Well, I do hope that some of you did enjoy reading the last chapter. I've given my best finishing it so I hope you do appreciate my efforts, despite of how badly you want to kill me right now. Anyway, I'm still thinking about writing a sequel, but since I have a bad reputation when it comes to those things (see Fragmented), I guess I can't promise you anything. I'll graduate next year so whether I like it or not I have to put writing aside for awhile.

I enjoyed writing this fic, and in fact it's one of my ♥faves♥!!!

Thank you, **tootalltygerlily** for betaing up to the last chapter. I couldn't have done it without you! mwah!! And I'm looking forward to working with you again (pertaining to my upcoming NEW fanfics).

That's it for me guys, thanks for reading and please do leave a review!

_**yukimiya**_♥


	16. Epilogue

-x-

**Epilogue **

-x-

The sun was high that noon, ready to provide everyone skin disease. It was mid-summer and the heat was unbearable. Not even Konoha's shady trees were able to provide refuge to those who were quickly deflating from dehydration. So when Sakura appeared in front of Ino's doorstep, inviting her to grab some popsicles just like old times, the blond agreed without a question.

Besides, only crazy people decline ice cream in blistering weather like this.

They stopped by Tenten's, dragging her along in their quest. The girl was reluctant at first, but the thought of spending the whole afternoon with her best girl friends; she joined them right after grabbing her sandals.

It was a little difficult convincing Tenten to cross the Hyuuga compound. Even though two months had already passed since the controversial wedding, Tenten still could not bring herself to speak to Hinata or to Neji himself. So when the two greeted them at their doorstep, Tenten shied away and look everywhere but her ex-boyfriend. Sakura took pity and told Hinata what they were up to. Neji didn't say anything and allowed his wife to be with her friends but only until nightfall. If Neji was an over-protective cousin, he was definitely twice as annoying and possessive as Hinata's husband.

It was understandable that their little group had encountered mishaps and developed a wound that would take years to heal. Sakura thought that even if the wound were healed, it would still leave a scar that's visible and never forgotten.

By the time they arrived at the ice-cream shop, the tension was slightly diminished, because Sakura and Ino loved strawberry popsicles while Tenten and Hinata preferred orange.

They found their usual spot empty and so the four girls took refuge under the waiting shade.

* * *

"I'm sorry,"

Hinata looked up at Tenten, popsicle between her lips. "Hm?"

The brunette chuckled, her eyes gazing distantly, "It wasn't your fault… it was nobody's fault. I was being an ass about it… and I'm sorry." She knew there was nothing they could do about it. Neji and Hinata were Hyuuga's and dedicated to their clan. She did them wrong by pushing Hinata away and by blaming Neji for breaking her heart. It was inevitable. And besides, even if Neji had pursued their relationship, nothing good would have come from it. They could elope, but both were too afraid to leave everything behind. The thought of doing such a thing and spending the rest of her life with Neji, guilt-ridden was not her idea of growing old happily.

Hinata gently smiled and made a move to grab her best friend's hand and squeezed.

That was enough to reassure Tenten that even though their friendship was not mended, there was still a chance that everything will turn out fine.

"Thank you."

* * *

"How's your shoulder?"

Sakura balefully glared at the blond sitting next to her. "You're asking _now_?" Of course they were talking about the catfight they had months ago.

Ino rolled her eyes heavenward, "Well, I can't really just drop by your apartment and ask you, could I? You would have just snapped and tore my head off again." There was no malice in her accusation but she was for sure telling the truth.

"It's fine. No damage done." Sakura answered, meaning to degrade the loudmouth's ego.

"Impossible. I whipped you bad." Ino scoffed.

"Oh, please. It was nothing I couldn't handle."

"Are you trying to imply that I'm weak?"

"No, you said that yourself."

"Well then, do you want an encore?"

Smiling inwardly that she was pushing the right buttons, Sakura muttered, "I'm not in the mood." Her voice muffled by the ice cream in her mouth, partnered by a dismissive wave of her hand.

Ino was fuming. "You're getting on my nerves!"

"Good," Sakura stared at her strawberry popsicle in wonder, "At least we're not fighting over Sasuke for once."

Ino didn't say anything in return and the two shared a pregnant silence, eating their melting treat. Silence means 'yes' after all.

"Heard what happened…" Sakura opened the topic despite telling herself that she was not opening anything involving Sasuke.

"I'm not a slut. Someone has to slap that off his face." Ino vaguely said.

"Nah, just tell me Shikamaru got _you_ whipped and being the possessive bum that he is, he doesn't like Sasuke hanging around."

"True."

Another silence ensued.

"So…" Sakura started casually, "How's _he_ in bed?"

Ino chocked on her popsicle.

* * *

"Sasuke, are you gonna eat that?" Naruto was drooling at Sasuke's untouched ramen.

"You can have it." Sasuke pushed his meal towards the blond who took it without hesitation.

Kiba raised an eyebrow at the two. "You gave in _that_ easily?" It was only proper for Sasuke to taunt the blond until he begs on his knees to finish Sasuke's unwanted ramen. It was casual entertainment that Kiba, Chouji and Shikamaru enjoyed watching.

Sasuke smirked and then reached out to ruffle Naruto's blond hair. "Tonight, he needs the energy. Food makes him more vigorous." Insert a very disturbing slimy smile that could make a brute man cringe.

Kiba and Chouji's jaws dropped as they watched Sasuke actually act civil and touchy-feely. Naruto in return ignored the _intimate_ gesture and blissfully finished his ramen.

"I don't even want to ask." Kiba thought he was eternally scarred for the rest of his life.

Shikamaru knew letting those two sharing a tent last night was a _bad idea._

* * *

"Sakura" Kakashi just arrived from a mission and was now lounging lazily on the couch, his arm draped around Sakura's shoulders as they watched another re-run.

Sakura moved her head from its perch on Kakashi's shoulder and looked up. "What?"

"Be a doll and get my latest Icha-Icha, will you?"

Sakura frowned. Not that she was still high-strung over Kakashi's obsession of his perverted novels, but because of a different cause. "You're actually going to allow me to touch your collection? I thought it was sacred." Kakashi placed a restraining order between Sakura and his collection after she threatened to burn them all after a nasty fight they had a few days ago.

"Only on special occasions." She didn't miss the suggestive wiggling of his eyebrows and the glint in his eyes before jumping up and grabbing the thing that usually spiced-up their love life.

Oh yes, life was good.

**..::FIN::.. **

(Seriously)

* * *

**AN:** After reading your reviews, I thought that I should give the story a justice and give it a proper ending. This chapter came out without base plot or anything. I just kept on typing, letting my odd humor control me. I hope you enjoyed reading it as I did writing it. And I'm sorry if I offended anyone with the 'Sasuke-Naruto' part. Haha! Didn't expect that, did you? Don't take it seriously, it's only fiction. I just happen to be one of those outrageous girls who are over-crazed with yaoi.

Now edited, thank you so much tootalltygerlily!!!


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